


I've Got Your Back

by CJ_Walker



Category: Splatoon
Genre: AU Story - Splatoon Universe, Emotional/Physical Trauma, Eventual Mature Themes/Topics, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Homelessness, Hurt/Comfort, Scattered Humor, Slow Burn, Street Musicans, Swearing, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2019-05-30 11:20:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 72,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15095645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CJ_Walker/pseuds/CJ_Walker
Summary: There is just something so charming and special about having a jam session with someone you don’t know. The only thing the two girls shared between each other was their obvious love for music, and whether they realized it or not, that immediately made them have a bond.





	1. [Arc 1] A Gentle Breeze

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arc i: Foundation

Pearl continued down the streets of the back-end district of Inkopolis, her hands shoved deep into her white jacket pocket. She kicked a discarded can to the side, flinching in regret as she listened to the scrap of metal clank obnoxiously against dirty concrete; the sound almost akin to dragging one’s nails across a chalkboard. Letting out an annoyed sigh, Pearl absentmindedly pulled out her phone and began to scroll through social media.

 

_-Just got hired at my new job!! I’m excited to see what lies ahead! #newjobwhodis_

 

_-Me and the fam went on vacation last week to Calamari Country! Here are some pics we took~_

 

_-Three more days until I graduate from Inkblot Art Academy! I’m so done, the itis is real haha._

 

The small inkling continued to flick her thumb across her screen as she stared blankly at the posts. She snorted, almost disdainfully. Pearl didn’t understand it; or rather, she _couldn’t_ understand it. People from all over were enjoying their lives to the fullest potential, yet, here she was, walking aimlessly through life, chasing a dream that seemed so far out of grasp. Ever since she was a little girl, Pearl had been told to follow her passions, to make a name for herself, but to actually put said words into action and bear fruit from them proved to be a daunting task.

 

It’s not that Pearl didn’t have a supportive upbringing, far from it actually. Her parents were an encouraging duo who made a fortune and always gave their little girl whatever she wanted. However, when Pearl moved out, she had opted to want to do things on her own. She was grateful to have such wonderful parents, but Pearl politely declined that they were to provide any financial aid to her adult life. Everything had been given to Pearl on a golden spoon since a very young age. For once, she wanted to work to get something on her own.

 

That being said… Pearl was beginning to have second thoughts about that decision she made when she was eighteen.

 

Living on your own was _hard._

 

Pearl wanted nothing more than to be than be the next big artist in the music world, but getting there was proving to be a lot more difficult than what she initially thought. She hadn’t been able to find any agents willing to take up her music. Unfortunately, this forced Pearl to turn music into a glorified side hobby while she worked at Mako Mart to _barely_ make ends meet. She stayed in a small, one bedroom apartment in Inkopolis, and even that was proving to be a hassle to maintain, financially. The apartment itself was far from the fancy living that she had grown up in, but at least she could say that it was hers. Pearl’s parents had always said that she could move back in with them, or ask for help if things ever became too difficult, but Pearl was too stubborn to ask for help, even if she knew she needed it.

 

So she continued to walk down the sidewalk towards home after working her shift from her dreaded day job. Pearl knew this point in her life was temporary, and only that. She wouldn’t be here forever; she was too ambitious and tenacious to live a life of mediocrity. But… that didn’t make going through the process any easier or appealing. Especially when it seemed that she wasn’t making any substantial strides towards success.

 

_\+ Music is the center of life, that’s why your heart has a beat +_

 

Pearl halted mid step, her foot frozen in time. She straightened her posture and perked her ears in interest. Something… something intriguing had caught her attention. Surely, she wasn’t hearing things, right? Putting her phone back into her pocket, the small inkling listened intently to the many sounds around her.

 

She scowled immediately. It was nearly impossible to hear anything over the obnoxious roaring of cars rumbling across the asphalt at the adjacent traffic intersection. Impatient honking and wheel screeching blared at terribly loud decibels while the loud electronic advertisements blasted impulsively overhead.

 

But still… Underneath all of that unneeded noise, Pearl heard it once more. Although soft, it stood out because it was natural, not artificial. Faint yet present, it carried throughout the back streets of Inkopolis like a gentle breeze in the beginnings of spring weather.

 

Pearl took a few steps forward, trying to locate the source of the wonderful sound. Realizing she was going the wrong direction, she pointedly turned on her heels and chose another path. Her pique of interest grew in volume and presence just the slightest bit, indicating that she was now going the right direction. Pearl increased her pace, following the source of the melody. Eventually, she finally broke a corner and came face to face with what had caused her to take such an unconventional detour.

 

Sitting against the side of a brick building was an inkling- female, Pearl was more than certain- wearing washed out jeans and a teal jacket with the hood pulled up, covering her face. In her hands was a simple acoustic guitar, emitting a steady, soothing tone. The stranger was using a technique Pearl had never seen before. With the same hand, she strummed chords ardently with her fingertips while using the palm of her hand to hit the base of the guitar, creating a dense bass drum sound. It was multi-tasking at its absolute finest, and as if that wasn’t already impressive enough, she added to the madness by singing, her head gently bobbing up and down to the rhythm of the beat.

 

Pearl stood, mouth ajar, as she watched in astonishment. Although music was a big part to inkling culture, it was very rare to come across street performers. The small girl found herself unable to really understand what the hooded girl was saying, as it honestly sounded like a completely different language. Whatever the case, she appreciated the fresh beat, regardless. Subconsciously, Pearl began to tap her foot along to the gentle groove. Music was never really something you ever understood, but something you just... _felt_.

 

Suddenly, some random inkling playing with their phone bumped past Pearl. They mumbled an apology under their breath, but carried on as if nothing had happened. The smaller girl frowned at them as they walked past, her face screwing up in disbelief. Standing rigid, she looked up and down the street, noting how everyone passing by were keeping to themselves and minding their own business.

 

Pearl's scowl deepened.

 

How could anyone just walk past the singer without paying her any attention? Her voice and skills were _exceptional_.

 

In front of the hooded girl was an open guitar case. A piece of cardboard with scribbled writing on it leaned next to it. It read:

 

_Anything is appreciated._

_Thank you._

 

Pearl found herself being extremely humbled in that moment. Even though she was struggling herself, she had to always remember that there were always others who had it worse.

 

Squinting her eyes, Pearl noticed only a few, pitiful coins in the case and some pieces of… trash? People were throwing literally anything into the case.

 

 _What a bunch of asshats_ , Pearl thought, angered. _Don't take the sign literally. As if she didn't have enough to worry about already..._

 

Reaching back into her pocket, Pearl pulled out her wallet. She frowned, realizing that she didn’t have any physical money on her person, only card. Even though she knew she was pressed tight on money herself, the small inkling knew she couldn’t just walk away without giving _something_ of value.

 

_Hang on, I’ll be right back..._

 

Pearl quickly turned on her heels and ran a fair distance to the nearest food station, which just happened to be Crusty Sean’s.

 

The shrimp smiled at her appearance as she ran up. “What’s Kraken, squiddo?" He greeted, "What can I-”

 

Pearl cut off his shill by slamming her card against the metal counter of the food truck, making the little advert cards and signs bounce nervously. “I need a Triple-Fried Galactic Schwaffle, to go. _Stat!”_ She doubled over, panting as she leaned on her knees. “And… a large cup of water with it!” Crusty Sean gave her a frazzled look before nodding to go prep the meal. Once Pearl eventually received the food, she walked as fast as she could back to the street she saw the street mucisian on. She intentionally chose the most caloric-dense meal on the menu. Who knew when the last time the girl had something to eat?

 

Pearl smiled inwardly to herself, thinking how she’d probably make the hooded girl’s day, not that she was doing this for praise or anything though; she just felt an external force, a sudden desire to help her. Perhaps it was because she understood how hard it was to be a musician, making her already have a connection with the girl even though she knew nothing else about her.

 

Pearl was beyond dismayed when she didn't see the mysterious girl upon her return.

 

The inkling walked up to the spot where she was sitting, looking around the area to see if she could get a glimpse of her. Unfortunately, it didn't seem as if the singer had left any trace that she was ever even there.

 

_She’s gone…_

 

Sighing in defeat, the inkling walked home with her shoulders deflated.

 

Days passed on, but Pearl still never caught sight of Hoodie. That... was the unofficial name Pearl had decided to give to her. The inkling remained hopeful though, more than certain that they would cross paths again. Pearl was intrigued by the mysterious inkling; she wanted to know more about her. She continually went to the same spot where she last saw the singer every day afterwards. Pearl carried a large bundle of crackers and water bottles with her at all times, determined to give Hoodie something when they met again, and to avoid the mishap that happened last time.

 

Sure enough, one day after coming home from work, she finally heard the strumming of a guitar in the distance. Hope and excitement swelled up in her chest as Pearl took off in a full on sprint towards the sound of the live music. After turning the customary corner, she saw her again.

 

Hoodie was wearing her signature… well, green hoodie. Only this time, her clothes looked more dusty and battered than before. She was arranged in the same set up as last time, guitar in her lap and case opened up off to the side. Pearl slowly walked up to her and stopped just a few paces away. The other girl didn’t notice her approach, her eyes shadowed by her hood. Naturally, Pearl began to nod her head to the beat, letting the music course throughout her body. Somehow, the girl’s music was even better than the last time Pearl heard her.

 

_This… is so good. Wow._

 

Pearl didn’t know why, but she felt a strong urge to play along with the performer. Knowing that she didn’t have anything to really play on, the inkling cleared her throat in anticipation. It had been a while since she had really sung, but she still did from time to time. Quietly, she began to hum along with the chords Hoodie was playing. It was a very simple, yet effective chord progression. Once she figured out the basic notes, she started to add her own spin to it, matching along softly in harmony.

 

When the girl spoke a line with that incredibly honey-soft and endearing voice of hers, Pearl echoed her. At the sound of her voice, the hooded girl flinched and stopped singing, as if startled, but kept the beat and chords alive with her fingers. She even seemed to curl more into her guitar at the inkling’s sudden appearance, as if trying to hide behind her music. Pearl leaned forward for a brief moment, gently nudging Hoodie’s knee in encouragement for the girl to continue with her.

 

“C’mon, now. Don’t leave me hangin’,” She reassured, in rhythm with the music. She didn't want to take Hoodie’s spotlight, but rather she just wanted to add to it, with her. After a few more measures of vocal silence, she heard the sitting girl pipe back up, seemingly gaining her confidence back and the two began singing along with each other one more.

 

Pearl felt absolutely euphoric; _cod_ did she love rare moments like this. There was just something charming and special about having a jam session with someone you didn’t know. The only think the two girls shared between each other was their obvious love for music and whether they realized it or not, that immediately made them have a bond.

Pearl wasn’t sure how long they sang together, but when she reopened her eyes at the end of their impromptu duet, there was a small crowd gathered around them. They clapped in awe when the two finished, many of them stepping forward to drop a few bills and coins into the guitar case. Pearl looked down to Hoodie with a smile, giving the singing girl an applause of her own. After all, she was the one who really made the show.

 

Eventually after some more claps and donations, the crowd thinned out, and it was just the two girls again.

 

“That was _so_ amazing,” Pearl gawked, practically bouncing on her toes in excitement. “I’ve never heard someone play guitar like that, or sing like that! How long have you been playing?”

 

Hoodie glanced down to her guitar, shyly twiddling with the strings.

 

She spoke with a quiet tone. “A f-few years, I think…”

 

_Woah..._

 

Pearl felt the tips of her ears rise in temperature.

 

That…

 

That was a very unexpected accent. A very different and intriguing accent.

 

A very _attractive_ accent. Pearl had never heard anything like it.

 

“What’s your name?” She eventually blurted out, shaking her head to recollect her wits. “I’m Pearl.”

 

The other girl looked at her for a moment, her eyes still shadowed by the hood. “Marina.”

 

_Marina…_

 

 _T_ _hat is wayyy better than Hoodie,_ the inkling thought, laughing to herself.

 

“Nice to meet you, Marina!” Pearl beamed, flashing one of her iconic, toothy grins. She leaned down and patted Marina’s shoulder. The sitting girl immediately shrunk back, startled by the sudden touch. Pearl quickly pulled away, regretting that she had made the girl uncomfortable. She mentally kicked herself for acting like a hyper-active teenager. It’s just… it’s been a while since she’s felt this excited about music; she had reached out impulsively.

 

“Sorry…” She mumbled in apology, glancing away. “Your music just really… fired up something inside of me.”

 

Marina looked the guilt-ridden inkling up and down, shifting so that she sat with a bit more posture. “Do you play a lot?” She asked quietly after a few moments of tense silence.

 

Pearl glanced back over to the sitting girl, her face still heated with shame. “Yeah. Well, kinda… I mostly like to rap, but I sing from time to time and at least know what sounds decently in tune. Occasionally, I do play cajon for fun though." She thought about the portable drum, realizing that it's been a lot time since she brought out her favorite wooden box. She should change that sometime soon, it'd be nice to slap some rhythms on it again.

 

The green-hooded girl nodded slowly in understanding. “I like to sing too, and play piano. Piano’s not really portable though, so I taught myself how to play guitar.”

 

Pearl blinked in astonishment. “You’ve taught yourself how to play? That’s even more amazing!”

 

“I guess...” Marina shrugged and glanced away, as if embarrassed. “Music isn’t really appreciated were I’m from, so I had no other choice but to teach myself.”

 

“Where ya from?” Pearl asked. The sitting girl tensed at the question, subconsciously pulling the hood further over her face. She remained silent, not answering the inkling’s curious question.

 

Pearl immediately backed off, sensing that she had hit a sensitive subject. “No matter where you’re from, at least you’re here now.” She released a small sigh, running a tired hand through her short, bobbed tentacles. “We all gotta start somewhere, y’know?”

 

Marina looked over with an unreadable expression as she saw the smaller girl drop down to the hard concrete to sit beside her. Pearl shuffled through the small bag she carried and pulled out her batch of crackers and bottles of water. Opening the bag, she made a gesture towards the other girl to grab some as she popped one into her own mouth.

 

Marina gave her a calculated look, hesitating, although Pearl noticed that she licked her lips anxiously. Taking just a few more crackers for herself, the inkling dropped the rather large bag into the other girl’s lap, giving her no other choice. Marina blinked in disbelief at the sudden act before gently taking a cracker between her teal-tipped fingers.

 

Pearl chewed on her own cracker in thought, noting that she had never seen fingers like Marina’s before. While Marina was distracted with the food, digging in eagerly, the inkling took a quiet moment to observe the intriguing girl. Now at a closer distance, she could see that her clothes were really worn out and aged. The jacket she wore was probably two sizes too big, and her shoes were caked in dried mud and other debris. Torn, battered jeans revealed rich, dark-skinned knees poking out from the holes in the material.

 

Pearl frowned inwardly.

 

She vowed to never complain about her living situation ever again.

 

After Marina had her fill of the crackers, she began to pass them back over to the inkling.

 

Pearl raised a hand, stopping her. “Keep ‘em. They’re yours.”

 

The hooded girl halted, opening her mouth as if she was about to protest. She quickly thought the better of it and instead decided to hug the bag close to her chest gratefully.

 

“Thank you.” She murmured quietly, looking up. In that moment, Pearl met her eyes for the first time and felt her heart skip several beats. Although they were still covered partly by the hood, the inkling caught a glimpse of a pair of stunning, green eyes before Marina glanced away shyly. Pearl had to remember to keep her mouth shut as she too, quickly glanced away.

 

“Things will get better.” Pearl muttered after another stretch of silence, almost more to herself than to the girl beside her. She leaned back against the wall behind her, her expression falling with thought. “That’s what I keep telling myself, at least. Things _have_ to get better, right?”

 

Pearl wasn’t sure what compelled her to start talking to the other girl, but once she did, she found that she couldn’t stop. She had been keeping all of this bottled up and to herself, so perhaps she was just in desperate need to converse with someone.

 

As she continued to speak, Marina slowly came out of her shell once more. She listened intently to the inkling, even added in some quiet input every now and then. The two girls continued to talk with one another as the busy world around them passed on. Only when the sun had dipped below the horizon did Pearl realize that it had gotten late. The inkling knew that she should probably be going soon, but… she didn’t want to just leave Marina here all alone, to go to cod knows where.

 

“So, uhh, hey…” Pearl reached behind and rubbed at the back of her neck. She swallowed nervously, unsure of how to really ask her question without sounding rude. “You, uhm… It looks like it's gonna rain soon...”

 

There wasn't a single cloud in the sky.

 

“You… gotta place to stay dry?”

 

For a few moments, Marina didn’t respond. She wrapped her arms around her knees, hiding her face completely.

 

Eventually, she solemnly shook her head from side to side.

 

“Well… you can crash at my place, if you want.” Pearl offered up as casually as she could muster. “It’s not the fanciest place in town, but I got more food and blankets and stuff.”

 

Marina immediately sat back up at hearing her words, her shadowed eyed widening.

 

“What? N-No… I couldn't possibly-"

 

Pearl stood up, reaching her hand out to Marina. “It’s okay, I don’t mind. It's not too far from here.” The hooded girl stared at the pale hand before ultimately glancing away.

 

“N-No thank you…” She murmured, shivering slightly. “I… I’ll be okay.”

 

 Pearl frowned. “You sure? I know we don’t know each other that well but...” _I’m worried about you._

 

 Pearl didn’t dare finish her thought out loud. She didn’t want Marina to think she was some creep.

 

The other girl shook her head fervently before standing up as well. The small inkling held her breath as she realized Marina was taller than her, _much_ taller. She watched with unblinking eyes as Marina glanced cautiously around at their surroundings before reaching her hands up to her hood. She slowly pulled down her hood, revealing her face to the inkling for the first time.

 

Upon seeing her face, Pearl felt her cheeks flush with intense heat. Her mind was unable to compute and make coherent thoughts for several moments.

 

_W-Wow… She… I… Uhm… [GAY ERROR 404]. The system has over-heated. Please turn off and wait [T-5 MINUTES] before rebooting._

 

To put it simply, Marina was absolutely _gorgeous_.

 

Pearl wasn’t even sure where to begin first. Marina had large, long teal-tipped tentacles that were gently wiggling left and right with a shorter one at the front of her forehead. Were her suction cups on the outside of her tentacles? How odd. Her skin was smooth and perfectly sun-kissed, a tone that complimented her hair rather well. Pearl found herself being drawn to her large and brilliantly green eyes more than anything. Now being able to see them in full light, they were unlike anything the inkling had ever seen before. Her pupils were also an odd shape and odd color – a reddish-pink.

 

Pearl felt a shiver shoot through her spine when Marina gave her a small, bashful smile as she brushed one of her long, loose tentacles out of her face. “I’ll be okay on my own,” She insisted softly, glancing down to the side in adorable embarrassment as Pearl continued to stare at her in shock. “Thank you for the food and company. I… It’s been a while since someone’s spared me a second glance.” She admitted quietly.

 

The smaller girl blinked rapidly to recollect herself. _System reboot successful._ “You’re more than welcome.” She gave a small smile of her own, rubbing the back of her neck once more. “Can I… will you be here tomorrow?”

 

Marina’s eyes seemed to sparkle in the last of the gathering sunlight. “No, I’m normally on the other side of the city, but I can change things up and-” Her smile quickly fell as she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Her eyes lost their vibrancy as they became clouded with fear. She hastily threw her hood back over her beautiful face, much to Pearl’s dismay, as an inkling walked past them on the other side of the street.

 

Pearl’s eyebrows furrowed in concern as she watched the taller girl shrink back into herself. Before she could ask anything about the scene that just played out in front of her, Marina spoke again.

 

“I’ll see you back here, tomorrow.” She murmured back under the mask of her hood.

 

Pearl had several questions, but she decided against asking them. Instead, she gave the other girl a sharp-toothed grin.

 

“Tomorrow, it is!”

 

Later that night, Pearl lied awake in her bed. Her mind couldn’t stop thinking back to Marina, and how completely intriguing she was to Pearl. She was so different and unique, interesting and mysterious. Not to mention that she was absolutely _breath-taking_ ; it should be illegal to be that gorgeous.

 

Her thoughts soon began to think back to how Marina quickly crawled back into her shell when she saw someone else walk by. Pearl would be lying to herself if she didn’t say that she was worried about the other girl. By the way she avoided direct eye contact and physical proximity, she was clearly terrified of something… some _one_ , perhaps?

 

Pearl wanted to know Marina's story, where she came from and how she ended up in Inkopolis because it was obvious by her accent that she wasn’t from around here. The inkling knew she couldn’t just dump all of these questions on the Marina though. She would just have to be patient and just let nature run its course.

 

Releasing a tired sigh, Pearl promptly fell asleep, smiling inwardly as she recalled all of the beautiful features about the other girl.

 

Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This mess was inspired by this simple, street performer video I saw a few months back. I'd recommend checking it out, it really made me feel some type of way - both sad and happy at the same time.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUFVR5sgbt0


	2. Play the Melody

Pearl was so excited to see Marina the next day, she nearly tripped and ate shit as she rounded the corner to where they met up yesterday. She didn't see how the sidewalk dipped inward at one point, displacing her center of gravity. It also didn’t help that she was carrying an extra black backpack, along with her usual white one, to throw her balance even more out of line.

 

“Fu-!!” Pearl ungracefully flailed her limbs around in the air as she fought to stay upright. She caught herself on the wall, sighing in relief that she had managed to not fall. When she lifted her head, she froze, face flushing to a dark pink.

 

Marina was a few paces away, sitting on the concrete sidewalk with her guitar in her lap. She was strumming up something, before her chord cut off with a terribly out of tune note as she jumped at the sudden presence. She gave Pearl a terrified look before seemingly realizing who it was and relaxed her posture, although her face still looked a bit hesitant and unsure.

 

The two girls continually stared at each other for several awkward moments.

 

“Howdy.” Pearl greeted as casually as she could muster, propping her forearm up against the side of the building as if nothing had happened. Her extra backpack slid off of her shoulders and landed on the hard concrete with a palpable _thud_.

 

Marina gave her a few concerned blinks through the shadows of her hood.

 

“Uhm… hi.”

 

Pearl wanted to evaporate into thin air at that moment. She felt incredibly awkward and embarrassed, and she really couldn’t pinpoint why. She picked up the extra backpack that had fallen to the ground with anxious fingers, rubbing her thumb across the material of the hook at the top. It was a… little gift that she had gotten for the other girl, and she had put a lot of time into crafting and perfecting it. Pearl just hoped that she would like it. She swallowed, deciding that she could give it to Marina later. For now, she was more interested in whatever the other was doing.

 

Marina had broken their gaze awhile ago, turning her attention back to her guitar. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration as she began experimentally strumming once more. Pearl watched quietly as her long, teal-tipped fingers danced gingerly across the strings. Marina made a tiny sound of what appeared to be annoyance as she halted on a certain note. She hummed quietly to herself before duplicating the pitch on the guitar.

 

“What’cha doin’?” Pearl piped up, watching Marina's frown deepen, despite her finding her desired pitch. She still felt awkward, trying to engage in simple small talk, but she tried to power through it regardless.

 

Marina looked up expectantly, as if surprised that Pearl was still there. She watched with wide, round eyes as the inkling took a few steps forward, setting both of her bags down before plopping down herself with her legs criss-cross-apple-sauce’d.

 

“I-I’m, uhm…” Marina absentmindedly tapped the base of her guitar and quickly glanced away. “I can't find what I'm looking for.” She murmured quietly. She replayed the same chord progression, stopping and flinching when she reached the problematic part once more.

 

Pearl propped an arm against her knee and leaned in, intrigued. “Whadaya mean?”

 

“Well… you hear this note chord here-" Marina strummed the pitch of question. “It's… off, and I can't quite figure out why. But not like, pitch wise. It's in tune but it's just… _off_. It's so close to what I'm looking for, but it's just wrong.”

 

“Hmm…” Pearl leaned on her elbow and propped her hand underneath her chin, rubbing it lightly in deep thought. “Play it again - like, all the chords in succession.”

 

Marina gave a tiny nod, strumming the four chords in order once more. Both girls made a gesture of disgust when the ill-fitting chord was played again.

 

“Ughh… I see what you mean now.” Pearl folded her arms across her chest as she puffed out her cheeks in a displeased pout. “It's like… trying its best, but not quite succeeding at the job? It's kinda like... the one guy who shows up to a pajama party, wearing a t-shirt and shorts, and not actual pajamas. I mean… that may be what they wear to sleep, so it's _technically_ correct, but you just gotta wear _actual_ pajamas to a pajama party.”

 

Marina slowly nodded in agreement upon hearing the ridiculous, yet totally fitting analogy. “Yes, exactly like that.” She adjusted her hold on her guitar so that she wasn't as hunched over it as before. “Maybe…  Let's try the second inversion?” She gave another experimental strum, and instantly regretted it. The newer, altered chord somehow ended up being worse that the first one.

 

Pearl recoiled back and wrinkled her nose with a small laugh. “Oh good cod, go back, go back!” Marina gave a tiny snicker along with her, tentacles gently swishing back and forth inside her hood when she shook her head.

 

Pearl smiled inwardly to herself at hearing that little sound. Marina had a rather cute laugh.

 

She hummed in thought. “I don't really know official music mumbo-jumbo, but we need it to sound more resolute, so... I guess move the bass note around?”

 

“Mn.”

 

Unknown to the two girls, both of their body languages began to relax. Even though they had completely different backgrounds, they were able to immediately connect due to their shared interest in music. Marina sat up a bit taller and, for the first time, held continual eye contact with Pearl through the shadows of her hood as she was given suggestions. Similarly, Pearl no longer felt the weight of awkwardness resting against her shoulders as they eagerly exchanged ideas back and forth. They quickly became more comfortable with each other; it was almost like they were connecting with an old friend whom they hadn’t seen since grade school, even know they had only know each other for less than a day’s time.

 

After going through and testing out chord after chord after chord with no luck, both girls let out annoyed sighs, leaning back against the wall of the building.

 

Pearl dragged her hands down her face, making her eyelids droopy as she pulled on her supple skin. “What the hell,” She groaned with irritation. “Why can't we find it?”

 

“I don't know…” Marina let out a puff of air in frustration, letting her hand go limp as it fell into her lap, gliding across a few strings as it went.

 

Both girls immediately shot up at hearing the unintentional sound.

 

Pearl's eyes were wide in shock, Marina's expression mirroring hers. They both faced each other, mouths parted in disbelief.

 

“Was that-?!?”

 

“I think…?”

 

Pearl grinned from ear to ear and pointed at the instrument. “Quick! Play it again!!”

 

“I-I don't know what I did!” Marina stammered, looking down to her guitar as she tried to mimic whatever her hand did moments prior. “Actually… maybe, it could've been this..?” She gave a hesitant strum, her lips parting to reveal a set of glinting, white teeth. She whipped her head up to meet Pearl's excitedly, teal eyes glimmering, despite the shadows of her hood.

 

“AAAAHHHHHH!!!!” The inkling yelled, her palms squishing her cheeks together as her golden eyes sparkled with delight. “Y-You-!! THAT'S THE THING. You FOUND the THING!!” She leaned back onto her haunches, closed her eyes with a grin and began to tap her small feet excitedly against the hard concrete. “Put it together, put it together!!”

 

Marina didn't have to be told twice. She sat up eagerly and began to strum all of the chords together. She and Pearl both chimed happily when the new chord fit perfectly into the mix. Marina repeated the new progression a few times, before adding in her unique style of playing guitar. Using the lower part of her palm, she began to add a nice bass drum-esc sound into the mix whilst still strumming the chords.

 

 _YOOOO,_ Pearl thought, excitedly. _Now we're talkin’!_

 

She watched in awe with a large, goofy grin as the other girl then started to sing. Marina's head began to bob up and down to her rhythm as her angelic voice filled the dull, dusty streets with life. Marina then locked eyes with Pearl and gave a small, almost playful smile as her body subtly rocked from side to side. The inkling felt her chest nearly burst with happiness and, strange enough, pride as she her own smile grew. She had never seen Marina so lively before; the other girl was slowly coming out of her shell.

 

Pearl was practically mesmerized; she couldn’t get enough of this side of Marina.

 

She snapped her fingers to the beat and began to add gentle one liners here and there, underneath Marina's melody. The guitarist nodded in approval, before closing her eyes to let the music fully course throughout them.

 

Random bypassers from all around began to halt in their tracks, their head fixated on the two street performers. Like the previous day, they slowly formed a small crowd around them. Marina and Pearl began to bounce melodic ideas off of one another, as if they had been playing together for years. At one point, Pearl had gotten a strike of boldness and began to freestyle. When she did, Marina had raised her eyebrows in surprise, smile widening as she continued to support the new, fresh syllables with her power chords.

 

By the time their jam sessions was over, they received cheers of awe and excitement, people throwing donations into the open guitar case once more. Pearl and Marina both looked at one another, their faces beaming with delight.

 

“Dude…” Pearl began, taking a deep breath to try and not burst out of excitement. “Like… we need to collab more often.”

 

Marina gave a bashful smile, fiddling with the strings on her hoodie. “Maybe so.”

 

“Maybe so?” Pearl parroted, her mouth hung open in disbelief. “I hope so!”

 

They both laughed.

 

Pearl then ran a hand through her hair, her face turning a light shade of pink. “You know… this is gonna sound really weird but like, I think it’d be cool if we-” Pearl’s thoughts were cut off as a chip tune version of Wet Floor’s “Now or Never” sounded from the phone in her pocket. Groaning in annoyance, Pearl mumbled a quick “sorry,” to Marina before pulling the device out to answer it.

 

“Yo,” She immediately drew the phone away from her ear as a voice began shouting angrily from the other side. “Okay, okay, sorry! I’ll be there soon!” Pearl quickly slid her finger over the screen to end the call, an irritated scowl taking residence across her features.

 

Marina blinked at her worriedly.

 

“That… was my boss,” Pearl grumbled under her breath. “I kinda forgot to keep tabs on the time…”

 

“You have to leave?” Marina asked quietly, her voice slightly crestfallen.

 

Pearl nodded with a sigh. “Yeah, unfortunately.” She noticed the other girl's shoulder’s deflate, moving the guitar out of her lap as if she wasn’t interested in it anymore. “But hey! We can meet up again, tomorrow. I’m off for the whole day! We can jam out again, and maybe even head over to the Square and hang out, if you like.”

 

Marina gave a small smile, brightening at the possibility. “Maybe so.”

 

Pearl grinned back at her as she sat up to gather up her things. She halted when she came across the extra backpack. She had forgotten all about it, until that moment. She swallowed anxiously, hoping that Marina would like the gift.

 

“Also, uhh…” She inconspicuously pulled the backpack out from beside her, trying her best to keep her nerves at bay. “I know things… may be tough for you, sooooo, I got ya this!”

 

Marina drew her hands back in surprise as the inkling set the entire black bag in her lap. On the front of the bag, there was a piece of white duck tape that was poorly scribbled on with vibrant, colorful markers and tiny doodles that read: • _♪_ _☆_ _Marina_ _☆_ _♪•_

 

“Aheh... I know my handwriting isn't the best, but I made you your own personal care kit,” Pearl explained with a soft tone. She began to open up the zippers to showcase what was inside, Marina watching on silently as she did so. “In here, you got this cool Zekko hat, for when it gets too hot and the sun gets in your eyes, some new socks and some new squishy, soles that you can slip into your shoes. I like that brand a lot, because it feels like you're walking on air!” She gave a small laugh before continuing.

 

“Okay, so this area is my favorite - I call it, the super snack station! You've got another big ol’ bag of crackers, you seemed to really like those, some protein and granola bars, a family pack of Sour Patch Squids, which is literally the best candy in the world. Oh! And I went to The Shoal earlier today and won a handful of free Schwaffle coupons from one of the arcade machines! You can use them at the Crust Bucket!”

 

Pearl briefly turned the bag to the side, her eyes practically glowing with excitement as she continued the tour. “And then here, you got this big aluminum water bottle that you can reuse. It's already filled up for ya with ice-cold water.” She shook the bottle slightly, listening to the ice clink against the metallic surface from inside.

 

“And lastly, in this section, you got a toothbrush, some toothpaste, a washcloth that like, absorbs any kind of liquid - technology is crazy nowadays. There are some tissues here, deodorant there and- oh! A bunch of these fruity travel shampoos and liquid soaps - there's vanilla, which is my favorite, strawberry, and citrus, and then some wet wipes, antibacterial lotion for when you can't get to water and some… uhm… well...” Pearl's voice grew quiet as she shuffled to pull out the next item.

 

“I… I can't imagine what it must be like to not have any of these when you need them, so I got you plenty.” She lifted a shiny, unopened package of disposable feminine products. “No girl deserves to feel unclean,” She looked up to Marina, offering a gentle smile. “I've got your back.”

 

After going through a few more minor things, Pearl closed all the zippers before sitting back up. “Aaaand, that's it! So, what do you think? Awesome, right?”

 

A quiet, choked sob is what she received as a reply.

 

Pearl winced at the sound, her smile immediately fading to be replaced by a worrisome frown. “...Marina?” She prompted softly, “What's wrong?”

 

Marina bit her quivering lip in an attempt to silence her crying. “I-I-I…” She pulled the end of her sleeve over her hand and tried to wipe away her steadily flowing tears, her shoulders jumping every few moments due to an unaudible hiccup.

 

“W-Why are y-you… doing this?” Came an eventual, watery response.

 

Pearl's eyebrows furrowed closer together. “What do you mean?"

 

“W-Why are you doing… _this_?” Marina repeated, gesturing to both the backpack and all of Pearl with a single flick of her hand. “Sitting and-and talking with me… s-singing with me… giving me f-food and all of this other stuff, when I-I haven’t done anything to deserve th…” A look of realization fell on her features as her green eyes suddenly flashed with fear and distrust.

 

Her voice lowered in pitch. “There’s something you want from me… isn't there.” It was a question, presented as a statement.

 

Pearl subconsciously raised her hands up, almost as if in defense. “What? N-No, I-"

 

“This is just… too good to be true…” Marina rolled the backpack out of her lap. “If you want something, just _tell_ me already!”

 

“I don't want anything from you, Marina, honest!” Pearl yelled, shuffling backwards a bit. “I-I just… I've had fun h-hanging out with you yesterday, a-and I know you needed some help so I just wanted to help out...”

 

Marina fervently shook her head in disbelief, her tentacles swishing to and fro in her hood. “I'm not stupid!” She cried out. “That's exactly what _she_ told me at one point, and look where I am now! I'm not falling for that again!” She quickly froze, as if realizing a mistake. She then clamped her eyes shut and quickly wrapped her arms around her knees and hid her face from view.

 

Pearl swallowed down the large lump in her throat, her heart hammering loudly in her chest. “Who… Who’s _she_?”

 

“N-Nobody…” Came a muffled reply, followed by a wet sniff.

 

Pearl's worried frown deepened, but she knew that it wasn't her place to push the subject any further. “Marina, I…” She opened and closed her mouth multiple times, struggling to formulate a response. “I don't know who _she_ is, or what she did, but I'm not like her.” Marina popped her head up slightly to give Pearl a skeptical look. “Seriously, I… I came over here yesterday because I liked your music but then once I got to talk to you and know a bit about you… I want to always see you now, so I can get to learn even more about you.”

 

There were several moments of tense silence before Marina broke it with a quiet, flat, “why _._ ”

 

“Why?” Pearl echoed, blinking in confusion. “Well, be… cause, I like being around you, and you seem like a really cool and interesting person.”

 

“But, _why?”_ Marina pressed, seemingly not satisfied with Pearl's answer. “Why go out of your way and give me all these things, and expect nothing in return?” She sniffed again, her face falling for a brief moment. “Y-You don’t even know me…”

 

“But that’s the thing… I _want_ to know you, Marina!”

 

“What's the point in that??”

 

“There doesn't have to be a point!”

 

“Then WHY do it?!”

 

“Because-!! That's just what friends DO.” Pearl blurted out, her small hands balling into little fists. Her cheeks were flushed red from all of her frustration and yelling. With a quick turn of her head, she broke eye contact with Marina to stare down into her lap, shoulders shaking as she tried to get her nerves under control.

 

The two girls sat in silence once more, with only the sounds of cars passing by in the distance filling the void in the air.

 

Marina looked taken aback by the outburst, her mouth hung slightly ajar. “We’re… friends?”

 

“Y-Yeah,” Pearl muttered eventually. “Well… if you w-wanna be. I just felt like we've had a really good… connection so I thought… you know…” Her voice trailed off like dust in the wind.

 

“I-I…” Marina bit her lip, also being rendered into silence. They didn’t speak to one another for a while, both of their minds running wildly with their own, troublesome thoughts. Marina slowly picked up the bag one more, bringing it back into her lap. She let her fingers absentmindedly travel across the tactile material, her eyebrows furrowed in deep thought.

 

“So… th… this is mine?” She asked with cautious curiosity.

 

Pearl whipped her head back up when she heard her voice. Her facial expression softened when she saw just how worriedly the other girl was looking at her. “Of course, silly.” She answered quietly, pointing to the duck tape. “That’s why it has your name on it.” She saw a look of guilt cross over the shadowed teal eyes. They both gazed at each other for several heartbeats, not knowing what to really say next.

 

“I'm sorry,” The both suddenly blurted out in unison. They stared at each other for a moment before opening their mouths again. “I didn't mean to yell,” They spoke at the same time, once more. They blinked, first confused then grateful. Pearl gave a small snort from the back of her throat while Marina shook her head as a faint smile graced her lips.

 

“Well then,” Pearl laughed, “If only all of my arguments ended that well.”

 

Marina nodded her head in agreement. “Guess we really are… f-friends.” The word stumbled off of her tongue, as if she had never heard of it before. “We start and finish each other’s-"

 

“Sandwiches!” Pearl cheered, closing her eyes and raising her hands high above her head. In her hand were what appeared to be two homemade sandwiches that she had pulled out from her own personal backpack. “I don’t have too much time left, but we can eat together real quick, before I go.”

 

Marina blinked at her for a moment before shaking her head with a smile of gratitude.

 

“Sure.”

 

Pearl eagerly passed a sandwich to her, before taking a rather large bite out of her own. Marina eyed the food gratefully before beginning to chow down herself. Bracing her forearms on her knees, Pearl leaned forward slightly with an inquisitive pout on her features.

 

“...Can I help you?” Marina asked, her face warming nervously.

 

“I gotta question for you.” Pearl stated matter-of-factly.

 

“I… uhm, okay, sure…”

 

“Why you always got this hood up, Mar?” Pearl asked, tugging lightly on the material as she took another bite from her sandwich.

 

“U-Uhm… well I-" Marina glanced away shyly and fought the urge to pull the hood down further.

 

“You've already shown me your face,” _And a rather pretty one at that._ “Why do you still feel the need to hide it?”

 

“Well, because, I, uhm...” Marina couldn’t get her words out to save her life. She took the last bite from her sandwich to spare some time. “I shouldn’t have shown you regardless because… I'm not… you.” She murmured quietly.

 

“You're not… me?” Pearl repeated, eyebrows raising high in confusion. “Of course you're not me, Marina... You're you.”

 

“No, no, what I mean is that I'm not _you_. Like,” She pointed to Pearl's heart and then to her own. “I'm not… I'm not _like_ you…?”

 

Pearl blushed as she subconsciously crossed her arms over her flat chest, thinking that Marina had pointed elsewhere. “Y-You're not like me?!”

 

Marina's own face flushed in color. “No! Not like that! O-Oh jeez… I…” She let out an exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose as she fought to think of a better way to explain things. “What I mean is that I'm… not…”

 

“Not…?”

 

“I'm not a… sss… I'm not…”

 

“You're not... straight?” Pearl concluded. She offered up a gentle, sympathetic smile. “No need to be embarrassed. I'm not either, so you don't have to feel as if-"

 

“No!” Marina blurted. “Well… I mean, yes, I'm not straight, but like, that's not what I'm-" She cut herself off as she met Pearl's eyes again. Another wave of heat rose to both of their faces before they quickly looked away from each other out of embarrassment.

 

“ _Marinaaaaaa!_ ” Pearl whined, burying her burning face in her small hands. “Please just say it already before I make another stupid guess!”  

 

“O-Okay, okay, okay, I'm trying!” Marina stumbled over her words as she thought of how else to speak her mind. “Alright, what's the opposite of a squid?”

 

“A kid.”

 

“....”

 

Suddenly getting another, _better_ idea, Marina reached forward to her backpack. Pearl watched, her face screwed up in utter chaos and bewilderment as the other girl pulled out the packet of candy she had shown her earlier.

 

“Okay, look…” Marina began, practically sweating bullets at this point. “What is this?”

 

“C… Candy…?” Pearl answered, her voice raising in pitch at the end of the syllable, signifying that she had no idea where Marina was going with this.

 

“Well, yes, but like, what's the name of it?”

 

“Sour Patch Squids.”

 

“Right!” Marina beamed. “Okay so, put it together. I'm not a…”

 

Pearl squinted her eyes in thought, her face fixated in permanent confusion. “I'm not a Sour Patch Squids?”

 

“Okay, close! Just remove the first two words, and make the last word singular.”

 

“... I'm not a squid? But... I am a squid, Mar.”

 

Marina’s facepalm could be heard from the other side of the street.

 

“Okay...” Marina felt like she was about to faint. “Repeat after me…”

 

“O-Okay..”

 

“You're not,”

 

“You're not…”

 

“A squid.”

 

“But I AM a squid, Marina!”

 

“Oh my cod... Please repeat it verbatim...” Marina couldn't do much more of this. “You're not a squid!”

 

“You're not a squid!” Pearl repeated finally. She furrowed her eyebrows, quietly repeating the phrase over and over to herself.

 

Marina gave a loud, exasperated sigh when Pearl finally got it correct. She threw her arms up in the air before falling back in relief onto the concrete sidewalk. When she reopened her eyes, Pearl was leaning above her with an inquisitive look.

 

“You're … not an squid?” She asked quietly.  “As in, you’re not an inkling?”

 

Marina shook her head solemnly. “No, I'm not. I'm a…” She made a move to sit up and Pearl straightened her posture to give her the ability to do so. With shaky fingers, she slowly pulled her hood down once more. “I'm an octoling.”

 

_Oh._

 

Pearl's ears tips tingled with heat as she was able to finally see the full extent of Marina’s beautiful face once more. The other girl seemed to be more afraid of revealing herself this time, her fingers trembling between the cloth of her hood, as if waiting to be reprimanded.

 

After a few moments of taking the new information in, Pearl spoke with a quiet voice.

 

“You know, that makes a lot of sense.” She said, rubbing the back of her neck. “I… I actually thought about it yesterday, but I wasn’t quite sure.”

 

Marina’s eyes widened slightly. “You... knew?”

 

“Well, I had a hunch that something was… different about you, but I couldn’t figure it out.” Pearl gave a small laugh. “Honestly, if you wouldn’t have told me, I probably would have thought that my hunch was wrong. I would have just thought you were an inkling with an accent and some interesting features.” She primarily pointed to teal tentacles, and how the suction cups were on the outside and not inside.

 

Marina’s lip quivered. “B-But… aren’t you… angry?”

 

Pearl tipped her head to the side, puzzled. “No, why would I be?”

 

“Y-You know…” Marina glanced away, her fingers twiddling nervously with each other in her lap. “With what happened with the war and… uhm…”

 

Pearl clicked her tongue and hummed in understanding. “No one cares about that junk anymore. That was over 100 years ago, Marina. I’ve never met an octoling before, but I’m sure no one will mind you staying in Inkopolis.” She leaned back, resting her body weight on her hands behind her. “To be honest... most inklings, like me, will probably not even realize that you’re different, without you telling them. They’ll probably just think that you’re an inkling, rockin’ a new, fresh new hairstyle or something.”

 

Marina sat up a little bit at her words, her eyes losing some of their fear. “Really?”

 

Pearl gave a bright smile. “Yeah!” She then make a mock punching gesture, her face set with determination. “And if anyone ever looks at you sideways, I’ll… I’ll sock ‘em in the throat.” Meeting Marina’s eyes, she gave her a toothy grin. “I got you back now, remember?”

 

Marina looked at her for a moment before her eyes softened with gratitude. She gave a small, shy smile and curled a loose tendril behind her ear. “Thank you.”

 

The smaller girl felt her heart flutter. “Of course. We’re friends now, so it’s the least I can d-” Her sentence was cut off when she noticed an inkling walking towards them, their eyes fixated with intrigue as they looked at Marina’s swaying tentacles. The octoling picked up on the unwanted attention and shuffled so that she was slightly positioned behind Pearl.

 

Pearl locked eyes with the random pedestrian and gave a sharp scowl.

 

“The _fuck_ are you lookin’ at?!”

 

The inkling nearly jumped out of their skin at Pearl's shout. They quickly averted their eyes and began to scurry down the street. In their speedy departure, they accidentally knocked over a metal trash bin, causing and all of its contents to crash loudly to the concrete floor. Now more embarrassed than ever, the inkling quickly picked up the trash before taking off in full sprint to never been see again.

 

Pearl gave a hearty laugh while Marina giggled quietly to herself.

 

“What a complete moron,” Pearl quipped, turning back to her friend. “I got your back now.” She repeated, earnestly.

 

Marina gave a bashful smile and rubbed the side of her cheek. “You know… I think I-” Whatever she was going to say ended up being cut off at the sound of Pearl’s ringtone obnoxiously blaring once more. The inkling groaned loudly with irritation as she hastily pulled out the device once more.

 

“I said I’m on the way!” She yelled through the line before hanging up once more. It was times like this where she wished that flip phones were still popular so she could dramatically end the call by flipping the phone shut. She turned to Marina, giving a sheepish smile. “Looks like I really gotta go this time.” The other girl nodded with a small giggle. They both stood to their feet, Pearl still awed about the fact that Marina was much taller than she. Well, nearly _everyone_ was taller than her, but that was besides the point.

 

She shuffled her own bag onto her back, gripping the straps over her chest with her hands. “Well, I’ll catch you later. See ya!” Pearl waved goodbye with another smile before turning on her heels.

 

“P… Pearl?”

 

The sound of the quiet voice made the inkling halt mid-step.

 

That was the first time that Marina has spoke her name, and it shot an electrifying tingle from the tips of her pointed ears, all the way down to her toes.

 

“Y-Yeah?” She asked, turning over her head over her shoulder. Marina was looking at her shyly, her hand clasped politely in front of her waist.

 

“Have, uhm… h-have a good one.” She murmured with a tiny smile.

 

Pearl felt her chest warm and swell up with a certain emotion that she hadn’t felt in a long while.

 

“You too, Marina.” _Stay safe._

 

None of Pearl’s co-workers could figure out why she walked into work in such a good mood. Not even her boss yelling at her about being late could sway the large, beaming smile off of her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof. I'm a bit dissatisfied with this chapter tbh, but nonetheless, there ya go! This is the last primarily "happy" chapter before we start dipping our toes into some angstttt. I threw a few plot subtle, plot centric things in this one to get y'alls minds thinkin' until the next chap.


	3. Breaking the Law

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've tried something a bit different with this chapter in terms of my writing. My hope is that this small change creates for a more vivid and enjoyable reading experience!

Pearl stepped out of her apartment adorning black legging and a sleeveless, white hoodie with a yellow, four sided star design in the center. She gave herself the once-over before locking her home shut with her key. Shuffling the rather large and heavy, cube-shaped backpack on her shoulder, she took a deep breath, relishing in the gentle breeze wisping softly against her bare arms. She soon released the breath with a content sigh before practically skipping down the stairs leading to her apartment, humming a tune quietly as she went.

 

The inkling had been looking forward to this day for _weeks_.

 

The sun shimmered brilliantly overhead, peeking out behind a few scattered clouds that dared to dot the blue sky with white specks. For once, Pearl found herself not as annoyed with the happenings of city life. Yeah, she could do without all the obnoxious noise and nosy inklings, but it’s just become something that she had gotten used to. Turning a corner, Pearl took a stairwell leading down into the nearby train station. She scanned her pass at the customary card reader before stepping foot onto the train.

 

Even though it was approaching the evening time, the busiest time of the metro with everyone getting off of work and whatnot, Pearl had thankfully managed to find a small section to herself. She removed her large backpack and took a seat before the train began to move off. Propping an elbow up against the armrest, the inkling took the time to make herself comfortable for the ride. Golden eyes gazed out the window, not really paying attention to the many blurs of colors and hues whipping across the landscape. Pearl’s thoughts were elsewhere.

 

Today was the start of a new chapter in her life; a new chapter filled with promise, hope, and most of all…

 

Excitement.

 

Pearl was unable to keep her lips from twitching upwards as she continued to gaze at nothing in particular. She had been trying her best to maintain her composure but as the train hurled at blinding speeds towards her destination, eager anticipation was beginning spill out of her like a glass that couldn’t hold all of its’ contents. If Pearl was more juvenile, she would probably have a solo squid party and shout “booyah”, but she had more self respect than that. Instead, she dug a hand down into her pocket to pull out her earbuds. She quickly connected them to her phone before scrolling through a list of home-made recordings and pushing play on one in particular. Sitting up, she crossed a leg over her lap and waited patiently for the song to start.

 

Her smile grew when she heard a certain familiar, soft voice.

 

Pearl could listen to Marina’s voice for hours, and never get tired of it. She leaned forward, bobbing her head to the beat as the acoustic version of one of their song played. As Marina sang and played the chords on the recording, Pearl rehearsed her part by drumming on her leg to the rhythm of the song. Given the close proximity, she spared the lives of everyone's ears on the train by opting to not take her cajon out of its’ case and actually play on it. She could play her hits in her sleep, with the amount of times that she had rehearsed this with Marina, and the amount of times that she had spent practicing on her own.

 

The recording itself was of shoddy quality, with lots of background noise coming from passing pedestrians and the constant buzzing of car engines. However, it was still good enough for Pearl to hear Marina and play along with her in time. She had recorded Marina alone with the sole purpose to practice when they weren’t able to meet up. They would have time for more profreshional recording, later.

 

Pearl’s smile widened after the song came to an end. She glanced back out to the window, humming their catchy chorus quietly.

 

She couldn’t believe that it had been a few months now since she first met Marina.

 

She also couldn’t believe it that, after only the third day of meeting up, her friend had shyly asked if Pearl wanted to start a band with her. Although completely unexpected, Pearl replied with a quoted, “hell yeah!”, faster than a squid with quick super jump.

 

And she really, _really,_  couldn’t believe that she was currently on her way to their first show. Now, it wasn’t anything grandiose or official, or even advertised; the pair were just going to set up in the middle of The Reef to perform as just a pair of street performers. Marina with her killer vocals and guitar, and Pearl with her cajon and bars of steel.

 

However, this was different than just their usual meetups near of that old department store where they first met. They dubbed that area as their unofficial practice zone, where they worked on songs and shared ideas, unintentionally playing for random bypassers. This time around, the girls were going to be playing for… well, more random bypassers, but this time, _intentionally,_  and in a highly populated area. This wasn’t just going to be an impromptu jam session, this was the real, official, unofficial deal.

 

 _And we’re gonna be shella fresh,_ , Pearl mused to herself with a smile.

 

Pearl interlocked her fingers and brought them high above her head in a full body stretch that made her toes tingle in anticipation. With a small sigh, she unceremoniously crossed her legs over the seat in front of her and leaned back, arms folded across her chest. She let the slow, soothing drone of the train send her into a calm, pensive state as she lost her thoughts looking out the window once more.

 

Her mind couldn’t help but wander off to her partner, and just how much their friendship had grown. When Pearl first met Marina, the poor girl could barely hold a conversation, let alone eye contact, but now… Marina was nearly a completely different cephalopod. Pearl noticed how she carried herself with more confidence, thankfully no longer feeling the need to keep her hood up to hide herself. She smiled and laughed a lot more than Pearl had ever thought she was capable of and surprisingly, she possessed a bit of a snarky side to her, one that could only be matched by Pearl’s own attitude.

 

However, there were things about Marina that made Pearl feel… uneasy.

 

Despite the fact that they had been hanging out at least twice a week for the past few months now… Pearl still felt like she really didn’t know Marina at all. Really, the only notable thing that Marina had told her was that she came from Octo Valley, but that part was obvious, considering that she was an octoling. Although a lot more comfortable, Marina still seemed to always walk around, cautious and calculating, nerves alert and attentive, as if she was constantly on the lookout for... _something_. There would be times when the pair would be talking about random things and Marina would suddenly relapse, growing distant, unresponsive and crawl back into her the shell of her former self.

 

Pearl was also bothered by the fact that Marina still refused all her attempts to get her to stay anywhere other than on the streets. She had offered up her home to the octoling many of times, but Marina still ardently refused the help, as if she still didn’t trust Pearl, and this honestly _hurt_ the inkling. Did Marina think she was some weird creep trying to coerce her into something… _awful_ by luring her into her house? She hoped to cod that wasn’t the case. Pearl was more than certain that it was due to something that happened to Marina before, or maybe even when she arrived at Inkopolis. Actually, truthfully speaking… Why was Marina, an octoling, in Inkopolis? Pearl didn’t mean any ill-intent at the thought, but what reason would octoling’s have to leave their home? It was just as jarring and strange if an inkling suddenly packed their things and moved to Octo Valley.

 

Pearl groaned, running an exasperated hand through her hair. All of these unknown questions were really starting to drive her insane. The inkling would never pressure her to talk about her past but cod damn it did Pearl really want to know Marina’s story. She was honestly really curious, but she also knew that it wasn't her place to ask such questions. That didn’t make being friends with someone she knew so little about any easier though, especially when Pearl considered herself an open book, willing to talk about anything and everyth-

 

She suppressed a flinch when she felt a familiar, sharp sting in her back.

 

Well, _almost_ anything, but who didn’t have their own skeletons in the closet? Pearl sighed, shaking her head fervently to clear her mind. Out of all days, now was not the time to think about _that_.

 

Regardless, despite not knowing a whole lot, there were a _few_ things that she was able to draw conclusions from Marina, based off of simple observations.

 

  1. Clearly, Marina has been through some shit.



 

This was probably the most obvious conclusion that Pearl could draw from. Now, what that “shit" consisted of, the inkling still hadn’t the slightest of ideas.

 

  1. Marina was adorably naive.



 

Pearl noticed that she seemed to radiate an almost childlike innocence when it came to the world of Inkopolis. She didn’t know anything about inkling customs or cultures, and Pearl quickly realized that it was up to her to help fill in the rather large gaps. Although she could speak the language in a standard sense, Marina couldn’t read Squidish that well and often had to ask Pearl for help on what something said. Pearl made it a mental note to help Marina make the adjustment to inkling life as easy as possible.

 

  1. Marina was an intelligent, undercover _badass_.



 

This was Pearl’s biggest revelation about her friend.

 

Pearl will never forget the first and only time she took Marina to play turf war. After some persuading and assuring that inkling Turf War was not in anyway connected to The Great Turf war from 100 years ago, Pearl convinced Marina to give the game a try. As per the usual, Pearl had chosen her trusted mains, the Enperry Dualies and threw on her Backwards Cap and Pink Hoodie. She had expected Marina to chose the Splatbrella, or maybe even the ironic Octobrush, but Marina had surprising opted to pick the Squeezer, out of all choices?  Who even uses that weapon, or better yet, who was even _decent_ with it? Pearl met Marina with concerns about her weapon of choice, but the octoling had insisted that she wanted to use it, clearly taking an interest in it’s ridiculous design. After reading over a brief manual on how it operated, Marina set out after Pearl to the lobby, much to the inkling’s apprehension.

 

The map was Starfish Mainstage, one of Pearl’s favorite places to battle and a place she hoped she could perform at one day during a concert. With a large slap of the starting signal, the girls took off with their team, Pearl throwing a curling bomb behind her to ink a good portion of spawn.

 

“I’ll take left,” Marina surprisingly called out first, opting to use the Squeezer’s automatic firing method to cover turf in a more timely manner.

 

Pearl blinked, briefly taken aback by Marina’s confidence before nodding her head. “Sounds good. I’ll take up mid.” She rolled out into the low pit before turning up to their teammates, who thankfully, seemed like competent, level-headed players.

 

“I’ll go with.” One of them, a spikey-haired boy with a splash-o-matic, screen named _BooyahBoi_ , offered before dropping down below next to Pearl, giving a coy grin. “I’ve got bomb-rush that I can use to keep pressure off the center of the stage.” Pearl smirked back, nodding in agreement before watching him run off.

 

The last teammate, screen named _Fireheart♡,_ a girl with short hair and a charger, beckoned her head to the side. “I’ll take right wing.” She shot a long trail of ink out in front of her before swimming off, out of Pearl’s sight.

 

Lastly, Pearl turned her gaze upwards to the high ledge that Marina was standing on.

 

“You good?”

 

Marina met her eyes, giving a quick twitch of the lips. “Yeah. I’ll be fine.” Before Pearl could respond, the octoling turned and began to climb up the high slope obstructed by the raised pillars.

 

Left alone, Pearl twirled one of her guns in her hand, her smirk growing.

 

_Alright, let’s do this shit._

 

Their team took an early lead, easily pushing the opposing team to their side of the map. Pearl caught glimpses of Marina running across the map, darting in and out of choke points, face set with quiet determination. Marina’s play style was aggressive, but not brash, which was surprising to Pearl. Until this moment, Marina had seemed like the type who would play only defense, but then again, Pearl should have known with the octoling’s weapon of choice that she was going to play on the front line. The Squeezer was _not_ a defensive, stay-at-home weapon.

 

Marina attacked only in critical openings, when least expected before disappearing back behind walls or in ink. _Four… Five..._ When she wasn’t focused on covering turf, she switched her Squeezer to burst fire mode, loud, clunky shots flying through the air as she aimed effortlessly at opponents with outstanding precision. _Six…_ How many splats had Marina accumulated this early into the match? And how the hell was she this good, if she had never played Turf War before? Clearly, her friend must have played something similar when she lived in Octo... Village, or whatever it was called, Pearl honestly couldn’t remember.

 

Suddenly, there was a surprised shout from _BooyahBoi_ before he was splatted by a roller that seemingly came out of nowhere. _Ugh… Ninja Squid cop-out._ The roller took aim at Pearl next, but she quickly dodge-rolled out of the way. Unfortunately, Pearl had just used a curling bomb moments prior, and she quickly found herself out of ink. Stumbling onto her backside, she cursed and raised her hand to her face and waited to be splatted.

 

However, with three clunky-sounding gun shots from the distance, it was her pursuer that dissipated suddenly with a splash of ink. Stunned, Pearl hesitantly removed her hand from her face and was surprised to see Marina trotting up to her side, hair and eyes glowing brightly with the effects of a charged special. Her long tendrils of hair were continually whipping across her face as her body subtly bounced with an internal rhythm that only she could hear.

 

“You okay?” Marina asked, voice edged with concern yet, unexpectedly sharp with something akin to formality. She propped her Squeezer up behind her neck, finger still on the trigger as she cautiously scanned around the area in all cardinal directions. Pearl was unable to respond for a few breaths, rendered into silence as Marina’s eyes shined intensely, almost like the sun reflecting over a lake that was iced over.

 

Well, _shit_ …

 

The octoling look like some battle hardened warrior, with enemy ink splattered across her face. Pearl was halfway expecting her friend to suddenly jump on top her noble seahorse to ride back into the fray with a loud battle cry.

 

For gear, she had rented a white Anakin tank-top with black Rockenberg boots and simple shorts, topped off with the popular Forge goggles. For the first time, Pearl was able to see Marina’s legs and arms and they were breathtakingly… _illegal._  Even though Marina had been living without out proper shelter and food for who knows how long before Pearl met her, the octoling’s body didn’t appear to be affected with malnourishment. Marina was in no way “ripped”, body still feminine with soft curves and gentle lines, however, as her arm rested against her neck, Pearl couldn’t help but notice the subtle, yet prominent definition in her dark-skinned biceps and shoulders.

 

Yup, Pearl declared it a felony. It was definitely illegal for one person to be so attractive.

 

She felt a ripple shoot down her spine when Marina’s intense, neon glowing eyes returned to her, gaze silently inquisitive. The inkling blinked, realizing that she never answered Marina’s question. “I, uhm, yeah, I’m okay. Thanks.” She quickly scrambled to her feet in an attempt to save the last of her dignity. “Bastard caught me off guard, is all...” She grumbled, ignoring the heat rising to her ears, wiping a splash of ink off of her cheek with the back of her hand.

 

Marina gave a curt nod and adjusted her goggles. “It happens.” She reached up to press a small button on the straps of her ink-tank, prompting a holographic screen of the map to hover in front of her face. All turf war players had immediate access to view the map via the toggle on their tanks.

 

Blazing teal eyes scrutinized the information, noting where and who the opponents were heading due to the direction  and pattern of ink being splattered onto the field.  “Looks like there are three opponents on the field right now, and the other still in the process of respawning.” She began. “The Brella coming from base, the N-Zap taking up the left side and the last one is-”

 

Marina suddenly went silent as her eyes narrowed at the map.

 

“What’s up?” Pearl prompted, taking a step forward with piqued interest.

 

Marina didn’t answer her verbally. In one swift motion, she gripped Pearl’s wrist and pulled her in, earning a surprise yelp, and with her other hand, threw out a splash wall in front of them. Not a moment later did the booming explosion of a Blaster smack against the wall as it’s user had suddenly darted out from behind a pillar. The intruding inkling grunted in annoyance, freshly seasoned with salt as he realized that his sneak attack plan didn’t work, but Marina didn’t give him a chance to counter. She slid out from behind her sub, using the various placed amps for extra coverage. At just at the right moment between the blasts and with three simple clicks of her index finger, she splatted the inkling upon impact. Pearl watched, mouth hung ajar as the whole event happened in the blink of an eye.

 

“...And the last one is the Blaster who is currently respawning,” Marina finished, flicking unwanted ink off of her fingertips. She turned around, facing a stunned Pearl and with a tiny smile murmured: “I’ve got your back as well.”

 

Pearl had to pull the brim of her hat down in a feeble attempt to cover her massive blush because _that_ right there was most definitely a capital crime, punishable only by taking the suspect out for an ice cream date later on.

 

That is, well, a date with the court of law! A date, as in a specified point in time where one would need to mark their calendar. Not like a _date_ date, clearly.

 

 

Obviously. 

 

 

...

 

 

Pearl honestly couldn't understand where her brain would get these outlandish analogies and scenarios.

 

 

She shook her head, realizing that she was taking forever to respond again. “Good to know,” She blurted quickly, recollecting her wits with a spin of her dualies along her fingertips. She made a small “tsk” sound through her teeth, realizing that she needed to step up her game. She took aim with her guns and rapidly covered some unclaimed ground with her ink, causing her to reach her special limit and with a well known chime from her ink-tank, she began to glow, hair loud and untamed like Marina's.

 

“This is more like it,” She gave a coy grin, golden eyes burning with the flames of determination. “Now, let’s get back out there and kick some ass!”

 

Marina didn’t match her spastic enthusiasm. Instead, she nodded once, facial expression pensive and unreadable as she gripped her weapon with both hands. “You take point, I’ll watch rear.” Pearl, seemingly oblivious of Marina’s unusual demeanor, eagerly nodded back and a moment later, the duo was off to reign havoc upon any unfortunate inkling who came across their paths.

 

Despite their victory and high scores on the leader boards, Pearl was beyond surprised when Marina approached her, quietly asking if they could never do another round of turf war again. Confused, the inkling had asked why, but Marina wouldn’t give her a straight answer and instead, briskly walked out of the lobby, giving Pearl no choice but to follow. The inkling had to entertain herself with her own thoughts as her friend slipped back into her nonverbal, unresponsive shell. Marina was a total badass when it came to the sport of Turf War and if she was that lucrative with a weapon as weird as the Squeezer, Pearl could only wonder how well she fared with the more meta weapons.

 

And if Marina possessed that much skill in not only tactics, but wit, why did she not want to play anymore? Did she not enjoy it? How do you get that good at something and not want to continue it?

 

A soft beep interrupted Pearl from her thoughts as a soothing voice sounded on the overhead speakers. Her ears perked up with interest, realizing that in her stupor, the train was slowing to a stop.

 

“ _Now arriving at i2640, The Reef. Please remember to take all of your belonging with you and as always, thank you for choosing Inkline Transportation. Have a great day!”_

 

Pearl eagerly shoved her phone, and her troublesome thoughts, back in her pocket and stood up from her seat. She slung her cajon case over her shoulder and squeezed past a few inklings to step off of the train. A pale hand raised up against the bright rays of sunshine that welcomed her visit with a warm glow of orange. Her fingers clenched the straps of her backpack in a vice-tight grip before a wide grin fell upon her features.

 

_Game time, baby!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so like, I have changed a LOT of things about how I will continue to write this story. For starters, the chapter length has tripled from this story's initial aim. The reason I took a little longer than anticipated getting this chapter out it that I realized that the story would still be terribly paced if I tried to squeeze it into 3 chapters, and then 5 chapters. For the time being, I've settled with 8 but honestly, I really should just mark it as "?". 
> 
> The only reason I was trying to make it a set number before was because I had a very specific phrase I wanted the chapters to spell out, but I unfortunately had to drop that idea because there was just no way I could squeeze this fic down to such a restrictive size. 
> 
> Anyways, hope you all enjoyed this chapter and thanks to everyone who has commented and kudo'd thus this far! The next chapter won't take nearly as long for me to get out, considering that a 1/3 of it is already done (I have a knack for writing out of chronological order WHOOPS).


	4. A Thin String

Once arriving at The Reef, Pearl maneuvered her backpack off of her shoulder once she reached the wooden box in the middle of the bridge. As oddly placed as the box was, the girls found that it out be a good stage for Marina to sit on as she jammed on her guitar. Propping her foot up against the wood, Pearl put her hand over her brow and scoped out the area.

 

She grinned slyly.

 

There were _tons_ of people here at The Reef today, way more than anticipated. She and Marina were sure to knock the socks off of everyone’s feet.

 

She took a quick peek at her phone, noting that the time was thirty minutes until their arranged meet up time. In her fit of excitement, Pearl had arrived surprisingly early for once in her life. Marina would be walking up to meet her pretty soon and then soon after, the duo would be putting on their first official, unofficial show!

 

 _I guess we need come up with a name for ourselves_ , Pearl realized suddenly. Having a collectively known stage name would be a lot more marketable than “The short, weird one with the tall, exotic one.” But, what name would be best for them? It’d have to be original, but not so far off the grid that it wasn’t fresh. Pearl made a mental note to ask Marina about it later, when they were done with their show.

 

The two were planning on celebrating afterwards by taking Marina to go shopping for the first time in, well, Pearl didn’t know how long. Marina was still wearing the same, over-sized green hoodie with tattered jeans, but ever so slowly, the money that she had been earning from their impromptu jam sessions was starting to amount to something. The little bit of money that she would spend would be on something more practical, like more food or body care products, although she still had some of Pearl’s original gifts not yet depleted from her care kit. Everything else, she ardently stowed away into savings, into a safe and secure part in her backpack.

 

Today’s performance was bound to be a hit, so Marina would hopefully earn a lot so she could have the opportunity to update her wardrobe. Despite the octoling’s pleas, Pearl refused for them to split the money they earned, making sure that Marina was given everything in the effort to help her get back on her feet. Really, Pearl was satisfied with taking her payment in the form of just being able to enjoy playing music and sing again. That, in itself, was priceless to her.

 

The inkling grinned inwardly, looking around at all of the shops in the plaza. What clothing would Marina buy? What was her style? Where would they shop; _J-Squad_ or what about _Abercrombie and Fish_ _?_ Or what if Marina had a hidden edgy side to her and wanted to go shopping at somewhere like _Hot Tropic_ _?_ Pearl laughed quietly at the thought of Marina wearing spiked collars and grungy apparel like she used to do a few years back.

 

It was a... _self expression phase_ , Pearl would insist to anyone who saw an older picture of her.

 

Pearl glanced at her phone one more, noting that Marina would be walking up at any moment now. Unable to wait the remaining meager time, the eager inkling stooped to her backpack on the cobblestone. Unclasping two buckles at the front, she pulled her wooden cajon out of the confines of its’ case and set it on the ground, a large grin adoring her features. She positioned it to the right of the box in the middle of the bridge, making sure that the rubber pegs of her cajon were properly gripping to the ground. The _last_ thing Pearl wanted to do was topple off the side of the bridge due to a simple hardware malfunction.

 

Shredding the _uncodly_ thought from her mind, Pearl took a seat on her wooden drum before leaning down to turn a knob, switching the snares on. She gave a few, quiet experimental taps on the front of her cajon, testing to make sure that the sound emitted was full and sturdy. Once she was sure that everything was good, Pearl sat up and shook out her arms.

 

 _Might as well as start warming up while I wait_ , she thought.

 

Pearl leaned forward once more, giving one solid slap to her drum before shivering. As inklings and jellies from all walks of life carried on with their shopping, Pearl suddenly felt extremely self conscious. She had never played outside without Marina before, it was almost… weird, as if suddenly all eyes were on her, even though no one was looking to her direction yet. She bit the inside of her cheek before sitting back up on her seat, deciding to wait on playing until her partner arrived so they could jam out together.

 

However…

 

Marina never showed up for the gig.

 

When the clock struck game time and the octoling was still nowhere to be seen, Pearl didn’t much of it and continued to absentmindedly scroll through social media on her phone while she waited.

 

When ten minutes passed, Pearl still really wasn’t bothered. Marina was walking from wherever she was coming from, and it would take her a lot longer to get to The Reef than Pearl. She didn’t have the luxury of taking the train wherever she needed to go, unlike her friend.

 

When thirty minutes passed by and still no sign of Marina, that’s when Pearl began to grow worried. At this point, she had stood up from her cajon and began to pensively pace back and forth along the bridge, head turning in interest to anyone who even remotely resembled her friend. Had Marina gotten lost or something? They had only been to The Reef one other time but even so, Pearl knew Marina had an excellent memory and didn’t forget things easily.

 

Pearl knew without a shadow of a doubt that something was definitely wrong when time had elapsed an hour past, and still Marina hadn’t arrived.

 

She stopped her pacing and stared anxiously up to the sky, noting the waning sun. Golden eyes were more akin to the color of orange as the dissipating sunlight reflected off of them and the growing set of thick, heavy clouds above. It was approaching dusk but the air tasted of dew, signaling that there was an unprecedented gathering storm on the way. At this time, the girls would have wrapped up their performance and began to eagerly talk about what shop they wanted to visit first.

 

But instead, Pearl stood alone on the bridge, confused and concerned.

 

Where was Marina?

 

Pearl abruptly turned on her heels and hastily packed up her cajon into its’ case and positioned it onto her back, mind made up. She needed to find Marina because the overwhelming feeling that something was _wrong_ was starting to suffocate her. Without a real reason, the inkling chose one direction and began to walk away from the bridge. She didn’t have a single clue where to find Marina, but starting somewhere was better than going nowhere at all, she figured. She scanned the faces of everyone she saw within her line of sight, hoping but to no avail to see a set of familiar, teal eyes.

 

Pearl had searched everywhere she could for the next couple of hours, but still no luck. If it wasn’t an overcast night, the stars were sure to be out at this point, shining brightly above the city of Inkopolis. A low and ominous rumble suddenly sounded in the distance and Pearl felt a few, weak sprinkles bounce against her face. _Shit._ Cephalopods weren’t made to withstand copious amount of water, as they would dissolve on impact if they submerged themselves in seawater. However, they _could_ tolerate freshwater, such as rain and the water they drank and bathed in, but they had to be careful of how much they exposed themselves to. Although they could never dissolve due to freshwater alone, if exposed to too much, it would leave them with a painful, burning-like sensation for several days.

 

Due to the impending rain, time was running out and Pearl would be forced to head back home. Hell, if she could even get back to her apartment from here; Pearl honestly couldn’t tell what part of the city she had wandered into. She checked her phone and cursed, realizing that she had terrible service where she was. _Of course._ Without any sense of direction, the small inkling took off in a full sprint, her boots propelling her across the hard concrete at a breathless pace.

 

“Mah-reeeeen-aaah!” Pearl called out, her hands cupped around her mouth. She dashed past bewildered inklings who were busy scurrying home to avoid the upcoming storm.

 

After running a few more blocks, Pearl hunched over her knees with heavy, labored breathing after stopping to catch her wind. It was hard to run with a large backpack strapped to her. Over the time of her search, she had learned that she had actually ended up in a small district just outside of her apartment complex, and thank cod for that.

 

Suddenly she heard a loud _clack_  come from beside a trash can just a few paces away.

 

The tired inkling gulped hopefully.

 

“...Marina?” Pearl prompted curiously, ears standing erect and attentive. “Is that you?” She took a few eager steps forward, nearing the source of the sound. Her ears quickly drooped with disappointment when she peered around the metal can. Instead of her lost friend, she was met with a small, fuzzy mouse. It appeared to be chewing on a discarded candy wrapper, peeping up to stare at the sudden intruder with wide, scared eyes. Squeaking in terror, it darted in between Pearl’s legs and scurried off into the darkness of a nearby alleyway.

 

 _Cod damn it_ , Pearl scowled, feeling crestfallen. _I really hoped that was you..._

 

The small inkling nearly jumped out of her skin when she suddenly heard a shocked scream and another shriek from the mouse come from deep within the alleyway. There were multiple, loud, frantic crashes and few moments later, the tiny rodent came dashing back in Pearl’s direction, only this time followed by about a dozen more furry relatives.

 

At the disgusting sight, Pearl spat a _charming_ slew of cuss words before scrambling on top of the nearest bench to avoid being swallowed by the sudden pack of mice. Had Inkopolis always had this bad of a pest problem?! Her eyes followed the nightmare as they disappeared into an adjacent drain gutter that flowed underneath the city. Pearl quickly whipped her head back in the other direction when she heard a muffled hiss of pain and some shuffling come from the alleyway. Cautiously, she climbed off of the bench and began to take a few quiet steps towards the uncanny sounds.

 

“...Hello?” Pearl called out, all senses alert. Immediately, the shuffling noise stopped, making the alleyway eerily quiet. She gulped audibly, fingers instinctively reaching to her waist, as if she had her dualies equipped. Pearl had seen enough horror films in her life to know where this could lead. This is what happened right before one of the stupid main characters would die.

 

So, she put on her best intimidating voice, pulling out her phone and tapping on it’s flashlight. “I s-swear to cod, you better not be some giant mouse boss or a zombie, or some other shit…” In her other hand, she lodged her house keys in between her knuckles. “I-I’m prepared to cut a fish if I have to!” She took a few more cautious steps forward, the dark, dank alleyway becoming illuminated with the phone. Pearl shined it all across the area, checking the flickering, yellow street lamps, the grimy dumpsters and the multiple sets of small stairs that led to the back of all the buildings. Her light halted when she noticed something in the distance. It was a shoe sticking out from the top of one of the sets of stairs.

 

Pearl froze.

 

She _knew_ that shoe.

 

“H-Hey...” She called out, which immediately made the shoe disappear into the cove of the doorway. “Hey, I’ve seen you!” Pearl increased her walking speed, heart hammering loudly in her chest. When Pearl cleared the wall that obstructed her view, she illuminated the area with her flashlight, mouth immediately hanging ajar with disblief.

 

“Marina?!” Pearl yelled, feeling a mixture of relief and shock course throughout her body. The octoling was sitting in the cove of the doorway, leaning against the brick wall with her knees pulled to her chest and guitar cause lying next to her on the ground. Her hood was pulled over her head yet, she raised a hand to her face at the sudden light source.

 

There was a quiet, disheartened sigh before Marina spoke. “H-Hey, Pearl…” She mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

 

Pearl was momentarily rendered speechless, her mouth fumbling to say something coherent. She settled with giving Marina a flabbergasted look. “What do you mean, “hey Pearl’? Hey _you!_ ” She threw out her arms and gestured to all of Marina in one frantic motion, causing the light source from her phone to flash in all directions. “I’ve been looking all over for you! I’m glad to see you’re okay. What happened? Why didn’t you show up for our performance?”

 

Marina shrugged her shoulders, twiddling with the strings of her hoodie. “Oh… that was today?” She asked, speaking in a tiny, despondent voice. “...Guess I forgot.”

 

“... _What?_ ” Pearl shook her head and blinked a few times, as if she wasn’t sure she had heard her friend right. “How… how could you forget? We’ve been planning our first show for _weeks!_ ”

 

Marina didn’t respond and instead, reached to pull her hood further over her face, letting the large jacket seemingly swallow her up. Pearl felt her gut sink upon watching the reaction. Marina was going through one of her relapses again, only this time, it was _much_ worse than any other instance. Pearl hadn’t seen her friend hiding behind the mask of her hood since the day Marina came out to her as an octoling, and that was _months_ ago.

 

The air became heavy and tense, the sprinkles above slowly starting to come down with a bit more force. Silence overtook the alleyway once more, save from the sounds of the gentle _plip plops_ of small raindrops hitting the pavement around them. Thankfully, the small canopy of the doorway protected the two girls from getting wet.

 

“...Marina?” Pearl prompted quietly. There was something that her friend wasn’t telling her. Pearl knew Marina well enough to know that she wasn’t aloof with her time. She swallowed nervously before placing her phone down onto one of the stairs, illuminating the area with large radius of glowing white. Cautiously, a small, cream-colored hand reached out and gently took hold of the green hood. When met with no opposition, Pearl slowly pulled the material away from Marina’s face. As golden eyes saw teal, time seemed to stop right then and there.

 

Marina met Pearl with a shameful gaze, unshed tears building up and threatening to spill over her lids. “I’m sorry…” She murmured quietly, wiping her eyes with the squishy part of her thumb before glancing down to the pavement.

 

Pearl gave a worried frown, unsettled by the apology. She lowered her back and propped herself up on her knees, eyes frantically trying to search Marina’s for answers.

 

“Marina…” She tried again, “Did something happen?”

 

The octoling nodded feebly, pulling the long sleeves of her jacket over her hands. “I-I…” Her mouth opened and closed several times, as if she was trying to say five different things at once. “I lost it.” She blurted pitifully at length.

 

Pearl tipped her head to the side in confusion. “Huh?”

 

Marina shook her head fervently, wiping her eyes again. “The bag you gave me all those months ago…” She suddenly threw her palms up to her face, muffing her voice. “I lost it, Pearl! I lost it and _everything_ inside of it and I just-!! I didn’t mean to- I thought I-”

 

“Whoa- Marina, slow down.” Pearl put her hands out, as if she was prepared to catch her friend if she suddenly broke into multiple pieces. “Let's start from the top, okay?”

 

Marina took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves before trying again. “W-Well, while I was on my way to The Reef to meet up with you, I stopped by a restaurant to use the restroom. I took my guitar and backpack in with me, but I somehow forgot to grab my bag again when I left. I-I guess I was so excited to meet up with you that it just slipped my mind. I didn’t notice my mistake until I had reached The Reef, I think fifteen minutes before show time, so I quickly ran back to the restaurant to get my bag, b-but… it was gone. I had asked the staff, but no one had reported seeing it. It was then that I realized what time it was and began to run back to The Reef, but then I turned a corner and--”

 

The octoling winced, moving an arm over to her side. She quickly bit her lip before glancing away shamefully. “I-I’m sorry. I saw you on the bridge before I left, and I should have told you where I was going, but… I felt awful that I had lost something you worked so hard to create for me, not to mention that _all_ of the m-money we had earned was inside of it was well... I was hoping to make it back before show time to tell you but then… I clearly didn’t.” She closed her eyes and tensed up, as if waiting to be verbally berated by her friend.

 

Dense, palpable silence passed between the two for several moments as Pearl blinked at her in disbelief, taking in all of the new information. It took her awhile to find her voice but when she did, it was low and poignant.

 

“Marina.”

 

The octoling didn’t move a muscle.

 

“Marina, look at me.”

 

Slowly, the younger girl did as she was told and hesitantly met Pearl’s face. The inkling was gazing down at her, concern and worry swirling through her soft, golden eyes.

 

“...Who the fuck _cares_ about the bag, or the show,” Pearl spoke quietly, leaning against her propped knee so that she was level with her friend. “We can get you a new bag, and we can always reschedule another performance. And the money thing? Don't worry, we... we'll figure something out.” A breathy sigh escaped from her pale lips as she briefly closed her eyes to gather her thoughts. When she reopened them, she gave a tiny, endearing smile, her cheeks dusting over with the faintest of blushes. “I’m just... honestly so relieved to know that you’re okay. I had this sinking feeling that something… awful had happened to you and so that’s why I knew I had to come find you. I’m glad to see that you’re okay, and it was just me over-thinking.”

 

The alleyway suddenly flashed with a bright, white light as a bolt of lightning streaked across the dark sky. Moments later, thunder crackled in the distance as the rain continued to fall with rapidly increasing intensity.

 

Marina flinched at the loud sound, her arm inconspicuously snaking further around her side. “Y-Yeah, I’m f-fine.” The inkling frowned as Marina pointedly avoided any form of eye contact as she seemingly tried to shrink herself down to nothing. Something was… _off_. Pearl examined her face intently before her gaze drifted down to Marina’s oddly placed arm.

 

Pearl’s jaw clenched as she drew her lips into a tight line, not bothered from the noise of Mother Nature’s show. All of her senses were honed in on the girl sitting before her.

 

A pale ear flicked impatiently underneath her bobbed tentacles. 

 

“Unless… I _wasn’t_ over-thinking.” She muttered tersely.

 

Marina froze before slowly looking up to meet Pearl’s eyes once more. _Busted._ Her breath got caught in her throat when she saw that those vibrant, golden eyes were burning with the passion and intensity of one hundred suns, out matching that of the lightning storm behind them. The pair stared at each other for several tense moments, the truth revealing itself without the need of verbal confirmation.

 

“Marina-”

 

“I-It’s nothing...”

 

“Marina, move your arm!”

 

Pearl reached out with a hand, as if she was going to remove Marina’s arm herself but them she stopped, remembering that Marina was strictly against any forms of physical touch. The tip of her fingers twitched vacantly, before they finally settled to lower them to her sides, hands clenched. The last thing Pearl wanted to do was lose the thin string of trust she had managed to build up with Marina over the past few months.

 

“Marina. _Please_.” She tried again, her voice wavering as she pleaded. The octoling eyed those small, shaking hands, teal eyes briefly hardening with suspicion. However, when she met Pearl’s eyes  and saw just how much they were practically _begging_ to her, Marina’s eyes softened once more before she ultimately signed in agreement.

 

As she slowly removed her hand, Pearl couldn’t stop herself from gasping even if she tried. Marina’s hoodie was ripped and darkened on her side, the tear extending from the side of her ribcage to just slightly underneath her chest. Pearl initially thought the hoodie was dark in that area due to dirt and other grime but as she inspected it closer, she could see that it was damp with ink.

 

Marina’s ink.

 

The octoling fumbled underneath Pearl’s intense gaze. “I-It’s nothing, really.” She offered bleakly.

 

“Nuh _… Nothing?!_ ” Pearl echoed in disbelief, her eyes flickering with deep concern as she stared at the wound. “Marina, you're _inking!_ What happened?!”

 

“W-Well, you see, uhm… On my way back, I-I came across-”

 

Pearl’s head flew back up to meet Marina’s face, fearing the absolute worst.

 

“Someone did this to you?!”

 

Marina’s hands immediately shot up in front of her, teal eyes widened with shock. “What? No no no…” Pearl met her with a stern look, a skeptical cream eyebrow raising. “I-I’m serious, Pearl. Honest.”

 

Pearl stared at her, searching her eyes for any signs of hesitance. When she found nothing, she spoke again, this time, voice softer yet still edged with slight panic. “Then _please_ tell me what happened.”

 

Marina swallowed nervously and briefly glanced away as if she was ashamed. “I-It’s stupid really, but when I was running back to The Reef after leaving the restaurant for the second time, I took a corner way too sharply. Right on the other side, there was a rail that was jagged at the end and it… well...” She gestured to the gash in her hoodie. “... y-you see the outcome.”

 

Pearl held her breath as she looked from Marina, to her wound, and then backed up as she looked around them and noticed for the first time just how badly it was raining at this point.

 

“No matter how it happened…” She murmured out eventually, turning her attention back to Marina. “That looks _really_ bad, Marina. We gotta get you to the nearest hospital and have them-”

 

“NO!” Marina shouted out, making Pearl jump and nearly tumble off of the small stairs onto the wet concrete.

 

The inkling looked at her, confused. “W-What?”

 

“I’m not going to a hospital.” Marina declared sternly, her teal eyes burning with an emotion that Pearl couldn’t quite pinpoint.

 

“Err… uhm, o-okay.” Pearl agreed hesitantly, quickly thinking of another plan. “Well... then at least come back to my place so we can-”

 

Marina shook her head ardently, her long tentacles whipping wildly across her face and nearly slapping Pearl across hers. “No!” She repeated again.

 

“Marina,” Pearl pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a moment to try and keep her own nerves at bay. Now was _not_ the time for Marina to just caught up in her insecurities. “You _need_ help, and we gotta-”

 

“I can take care of it, myself!” Marina shouted, defensively covering the gash on her side. “Why do you always have to stress over me?! I’m fine!”

 

“ _Marina!_ ” Pearl yelled out, snapping her eyes back open, unable to hold back her frustration for any longer. They were wasting precious time by pointlessly arguing. “Look. You have the option of choosing the hospital or my place. There is no third option of you taking care of it yourself-”

 

“But I-”

 

“-because don’t you think for a _cod damned_ second that I am about to leave you out here alone, in the streets and in the rain to fuckin’... ink out everywhere!”

 

Another bright flash of lightning beamed from ahead as a ground shaking rumble of thunder boomed, this time at a much closer distance. Rain was pelting against the street now, and some of it was splashing up onto the first few steps of the stairs.

 

Tense silence passed between the two girls as Marina fought for something to say, but she found that she had lost her voice. She instead held her lip in a tight line before looking away, expression hard but otherwise, unreadable. Despite her grandiose declaration, Pearl knew she couldn't force Marina to do anything, and the fact that Marina could still refuse the help _scared_ her. If Pearl didn't get Marina to choose one of her decisions, she was worried that this would be the last time she saw Marina, and that their friendship would be swept away with the rainstorm around them.

 

Taking a beep breath, the desperate inkling forced herself to calm down, opting to take another approach. She knew she was about to dip her toe into something that wasn't at all her business, but she was out of options at this point. 

 

 

"...You can trust me, Marina."  Pearl offered quietly, leaning in on the steps and trying her best to ignore the torrential rain behind her.

 

The octoling flinched at her words before quickly whipping her head back up, giving a disdainful sniff. She gave the inkling a hard look, her face falling into a disbelieving scowl. "Like I haven't heard that one before." She mumbled with a wavering voice that didn't match the intensity of her eyes at all. Seemingly aware of this, she subconsciously raised a hand to her mouth and looked away, her shoulders beginning to tremble. 

 

Marina wasn't as tough and emotionless as what she was appearing to be, and Pearl knew this. The inkling's small hands twitched vacantly at her sides. She wanted nothing more to do than to offer some type of physical assurance to the younger girl, but she knew that she couldn't.

 

When there was another loud thunder boom from above, this time, Pearl flinched. In one final attempt to get Marina off of the streets, she swallowed nervously before opening her mouth.

 

"Marina," Pearl tried again, her voice softening to a pitch that was so unlike her; a pitch that she uncomfortably knew made her sound small and vulnerable. "You _have_ to trust me, just for this one night." When Marina held her with another hard gaze, Pearl gulped. 

 

“We’re _friends_ , aren’t we?” She asked, her voice wavering with emotion. “I’ve got your back, and you have mine, so please… Let me help you…”

 

Marina remained silent for several tense heartbeats before her facade finally started to crumble away. She gave Pearl an overwhelmingly guilty look, as if she was about to start crying, but instead she lowered her head and let her shoulders sag in defeat.

 

“O-Okay…” She whispered eventually, sounding utterly exhausted. “Let’s… Let’s go to your place.”

 

Pearl released the breath of air she didn’t even realize that she was holding in. _Oh, t-thank cod._ She was almost certain that Marina would have refused her again, and she wouldn't have known what to do at that point. Things were far from over, however. Now was not the time to get caught up in her emotions.

 

They had to get moving, _now_.

 

With shaky legs, the inkling rose to full height, grabbing her discarded phone as she did so. She  then hesitated, trying to decide whether or not to reach out with a hand to help Marina up. “Can you… can you stand?” Marina nodded quickly, shuffling her hands behind her to give her some leverage. When she pushed herself to her feet, she let out an angry hiss of pain, a teal-tipped hand shooting up to immediately hold her side. Pearl had to bite down hard on the inside of her cheek to keep herself from impulsively reaching out.

 

“Y-You sure you’re okay?” She asked, feeling utterly useless.

 

Marina nodded once more, her forehead dotting with perspiration as she squinted one eye against the pain. “Y-Yeah. Let’s go.” The octoling took one step away from the smaller girl, before her balance quickly failed her, causing her to stagger.

 

This time around, Pearl couldn’t control her impulsive desires.

 

Without a single thought of the consequences, she lunged forward and grabbed Marina's hand, keeping the younger girl from slipping off of the steps. “Easy…” Pearl warned cautiously, her ears drawing back with worry as she moved to stand in front of her friend, hand still clasped around the larger one. “I-I need you to not fall out on me because I can’t carry you.” She tried to give a laugh to lighten the mood, but it came out as a weird, strained noise instead.

 

Her pale skin burned with panic when Marina met her with an intense, cautious glare. Couple that with the fact that Marina’s eyes were already darkened with pain and fear, and you’ve got yourself a combination of a gaze that screamed, _back the fuck up_. The inkling quickly reworked her seemingly brainless plan and hastily shuffled her hand down the teal fingertips so that the only thing keeping the two girls together were a pair of interlocked pinky fingers. Surprisingly, this seemed to make Marina relax significantly, her eyes losing their hard stare, although they were now clouded with uncertainty.

 

“We need to stay together,” Pearl explained quietly, grabbing Marina's discarded guitar case with her empty hand. She turned to lead Marina down the stairs with her outstretched hand, the steps getting slippery due to the splashing of the rain drops on the street. Merely holding on to her pinky didn’t provide Marina with any support at all, but it still made Pearl feel as if she was helping out in _some_ way. At least she could guide and steer Marina in the right direction. Rising to her tiptoes, the smaller girl briefly set the guitar back down before reaching out with her hand to pull Marina’s hood back over her head before flipping her own white hood up. They had reached the last part of the stairs that was covered with the canopy, protecting them from the harsh rain.

 

“My apartment is only about a few blocks from here but even so, we’re still gonna get drenched. We’ll walk as fast as what’s comfortable for you, I don’t want to try and make you run with how hurt you are.” She looked up to Marina once more with a concerned yet, protective gleam in her golden eyes. “Stay close to me, yeah?”

 

Pearl blinked in surprise when she felt Marina wrap her finger tighter around hers. The younger girl nodded her head once, carefully stepping down to stand next to Pearl. They were so close to the edge of the canopy that droplets of water were beginning to splash onto their faces.

 

“Okay.” Marina murmured, a streak of white lightning reflecting across her wary, teal eyes. “Lead the way.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Attention, this is your pilot speaking. We are arriving at your destination, please fasten your seat-belts. The angst is coming in hot over these next few chapters and it's gonna be a wild, bumpy ride~
> 
> Tbh, this chapter was hella fun to write and I hope that it was just as enjoyable to read!


	5. In the Storm

Pearl unceremoniously kicked open the door to her apartment before turning to usher Marina inside. She quickly slammed the door shut behind her, using all of her strength to fight the howling winds from flinging it back open. Once closed, the space inside was dark before she reached out and flipped on a switch, illuminating the short hallway that led into a joint living room and kitchen area.

  
Pearl let her cajon and Marina’s guitar case fall to the ground from limp limbs. She had a throbbing, stress-induced headache, and all she wanted to do was change out of her drenched clothes and curl up into a ball full of warm blankets and pillows to sleep for eighty hours.

  
However...

  
The night was far from being over.

  
“Excuse the mess,” She prompted, referring to her home before effortlessly flinging off her water-heavy shoes and socks with a single kick of each foot. “It’s been a while since I’ve had company over.” _I wish it wasn’t due to such dire circumstances though..._ “I guess I can give you a tour of the place later, although it ain’t much.”

  
Pearl pulled her dripping wet white jacket up and over her head before letting it also hit the ground with a dense _splosh_ , leaving her in a simple pink tank-top. She then wiped at the stream of water steadily flowing down her face before hesitantly glancing up to Marina. Pearl was trying her best to make light of the situation in an effort to put her friend at ease, but it didn't appear to be having an effect on the octoling.

 

Marina had drawn so far into herself that it had honestly felt like she wasn't even there. Her teal eyes were glazed over with pain and wariness, her vision shifting in and out of focus. Pearl knew that the trek through the raging weather must’ve really taken its toll on Marina’s body - hell, it took a toll on _her_ body, and she wasn't even the one injured. Due to her friend’s wound, the pair had to walk at an agonizingly slow pace and unfortunately, the storm had shown them no mercy.

 

She resembled a lost child, with how, well, _pitiful_ she looked. Marina's large, sodden hoodie was hanging heavily off of her lithe body, the material darkened in color due to the rain. Tiny rivulets of water were streaming down the tips of the tentacles dropping out from her hood, making them glossy in the apartment's artificial light. The green tendrils weren't gracefully swaying like they normally did; instead, they were nearly still, making them look uncanny and unnatural.

 

 _She's been through so much_ … Pearl thought sorely. _And now she's at some unknown place that she doesn't even want to be in..._

 

The inkling reached up to remove a slick, wet pink tentacle clinging uncomfortably to her face. “C’mon, this way.” She interlocked their pinky fingers once more, intended to lead Marina into the kitchen, but the octoling stood rigidly in place. Pearl noticed how her body was shivering, whether it be due to fear or the chilly water clinging to her body, Pearl couldn't tell.

 

Honestly speaking, it was probably both.

 

She gently tugged on Marina's finger once more, trying to pull her friend out of her mental and physical rut and this time, she was receptive. Pearl was patient with Marina as she slowly put one foot in front of the other, in an attempt to not fall over and further anger her enraged wound. Her muddy, sodden shoes sloshed a trail of growing puddles on the wooden floor, but Pearl didn’t care. She could clean it up the mess, along with the rest of her apartment, later.

 

When they eventually reached the small, yet open kitchen, Pearl quickly pulled a chair up near the sink before guiding her friend to sit down. Marina slunk gratefully into the chair with a palpable, wet _plap_. She withdrew the useless, drenched hood from her head and leaned back on the seat, her face screwing up in a deep grimace. A swarthy hand hovered hesitantly at the wound on her side, as if she wanted to console the afflicted area, but couldn’t due to the sheer amount of pain she felt.

 

“Hang on, I’ll be right back.” Pearl murmured before leaving the kitchen for a brief moment. When she returned, she had a bundle of fluffy, white towels underneath her arms. She handed one to Marina before pushing one to her own face in an attempt to stop the worst of the water from flowing down in her eyes.

 

Marina didn't react or move when Pearl placed the towel in her lap for her to use.

 

Once Pearl had gotten her own face and tentacles somewhat dry, Pearl tossed her towel on the counter and quickly stooped to one knee. She reached underneath the sink cabinet to pull out her first-aid kit. When she was younger, Pearl was a reckless squid and often got herself into... _peculiar_ situations, thankfully giving her some experience on how to properly tend to varying injuries. However, that didn't make the inkling an expert on the matter by any stretch of the means; she would have much rather just taken Marina to the hospital.

 

But it was tough as it was to get Marina to her home, she had to make best of the situation, although the odds were not in her favor.

 

Sighing inwardly, she put the white box onto the counter and pulled a chair up in front of Marina to sit down.  

 

Pearl spoke with a weary, yet soft voice. “Let's take these shoes off, okay?” She hunched down over her knees and carefully removed her friend’s soaked shoes and socks from her feet. She expected a reaction from Marina at the touch, but surprisingly got none and instead was met with strong silence.

 

Marina's lack of reaction was really starting to _unnerve_ Pearl.

 

Once her feet were free from their oceanic prison, Pearl placed the dirty shoes over to the side and out of the way. She glanced back up to Marina and noticed how she appeared to be leaning in her seat, her eyes dull and half-lidded.

 

Pearl swallowed nervously before reaching up to gently tap her cheek. “Hey, stay with me, okay? Don't drift off just yet.” Marina suddenly flinched, like a person experiencing the falling sensation while trying to sleep. Blinking rapidly, her eyes came back into focus at Pearl's insistence. She gripped her palms against the armrest of the chair in an attempt to keep herself stabilized.

 

“Let's get you fixed up.” Pearl leaned in on her chair to inspect the wound across Marina's side.

 

Well… she could see just how bad the gash on Marina’s _hoodie_ was, but that was about it. She actually couldn’t get a good look at the wound itself since it was mostly obstructed by the oversized cloth.

 

And _that_ was a problem.

 

 _Oh, fuck me,_ Pearl thought anxiously, her mouth going dry. _She is not going to like this..._

 

“Okay… here’s the deal,” She started cautiously, pausing for a brief moment to take a deep breath. “We... need to remove your jacket, Marina.” At the sound of the request, Marina’s eyes shot wide open to stare down at Pearl as if she had suddenly sprouted an extra head. She opened her mouth, intended to speak for the first time since they left the alleyway, but Pearl cut her off with a dismissive hand.

 

“This isn’t up for debate.” She said, her voice firm but in no way aggressive or condescending. “I can’t see anything with it in the way, and I can’t help you if I can’t see the problem. Also, you and I both know that you can't stay in that wet jacket. Your skin will start burning.”

 

_Hell, mine is already starting to tingle a little bit._

 

“We need to remove it.” She reiterated.

 

Marinas eyes had gained some life back into them, the rims of her irises flashing with a mixture of mistrust and wariness. “I can take it off mys-"

 

“Marina...” Pearl interrupted, her eyes unyielding as she looked to the hurt octoling. She realized that had to be real and upfront, they couldn't afford to waste any time arguing again. “If you could do it yourself, you would have done so already.”

 

Marina stared at her for a few moments, silent and unwavering before she finally let her shoulder sag in exhaustion. Whether she liked it or not, Marina had to accept the fact that she couldn't do this alone.

 

Noting her sigh of defeat, Pearl chose her words carefully. “We’ll work together, okay?” The inkling knew that it was important for Marina to feel as if she wasn't completely helpless, so she made sure to speak in a way that made Marina feel as if she was contributing.  

 

When Marina nodded in understanding, Pearl reached down to the base of her own chair and scooted it a bit closer.

 

“Can you lift your arms for me?” She asked quietly. Marina nodded once more before slowly beginning to raise the limbs of question. She gritted her teeth and choked back a cry of pain when she reached a certain point. The slight movement was surely jostering her wound in a rather painful manner.

 

Pearl then slipped her hands underneath the material to Marina’s elbows before carefully guiding them through the sleeves. Thankfully since the jacket was so large, Pearl didn’t have to bend Marina's arms that much to pull them through. Once her arms were sleeveless, Pearl reached down to take the hem of the hoodie in her fingertips and slowly pull the soggy cloth over Marina's head. It was then dropped to the ground, connecting with the hard, porcelain tile with an ample, wet _squash._

 

Now that the drenched, obstructing material was removed, Marina was left in only a black sports bra and ripped jeans, shifting uncomfortably in her seat as Pearl's golden eyes scanned across her skin.

 

Literally had this been any other circumstance, Pearl would be a blushing, flustered mess at this kind of proximity. However, the inkling knew that she had a job to do, and that Marina needed her to be focused and diligent.

 

Pearl didn't have time to get caught up with stupid, immature thoughts.

 

Cream eyebrows furrowed in deep concentration as she inspected the afflicted area. The wound seemed to start in the area just below her armpit before disappearing underneath the black material, which was ripped diagonally across her side, more than likely in the direction of the obscured wound. The gash traveled from that area to just offset of the center of Marina's chest. Where the rip ended in the bra, the actual wound itself could be seen trailing out from below the cloth. Teal-colored ink had flowed down from the gash, most of it old and stuck to the skin, but some still slowly flowing out from the injury.

 

Pearl wanted to get to work immediately, but unfortunately... There was still a rather large problem that they had to literally remove from the equation.

 

She held her breath, closing her eyes in a moment of realization.

 

_Oh, for fuck’s sake… Why why why..._

 

It took Pearl several moments to muster up the courage to speak, her heart sinking down to the pits of her stomach.

 

“...Marina.”

 

At the sound of her voice, The octoling met Pearl's eyes with suspicion. Her tone was heavy with weight, like a doctor walking in on a patient to deliver them bad news. And _oh boy_ , did Pearl have some bad news.

 

“...I still can't get a full, clear view of the wound, so we…” Pearl gulped audibly, a lump promptly lodging itself in her throat.

 

“We need to remove your bra.”

 

She watched in silent horror as Marina's teal eyes blinked at her several times before slowly growing disbelieving and hostile. She drew her lips into a razor-sharp line as one of her hands gripped the arm of the chair tighter, making her knuckles lose their color from loss of circulation.

 

When she spoke, her voice was dangerously low, devoid of any emotion.

 

“... _Excuse_ me.”

 

Pearl flinched under the scrutinizing glare right as a muffled boom of thunder sounding from outside, gently rattling the apartment. The ambient lights around the home flickered anxiously, as if they were about to surrender to the torrents of the storm.

 

Pearl shifted uncomfortably in her seat, raising up her hands in defense. “I-I know how it sounds Marina, but I really can't… see…” Her voice trailed off into nothing as Marina's eyes seemingly bored holes into hers.

 

“ _No_.” The octoling muttered tersely, a growl rivaling that of a tiger-shark.

 

“...But Marina, we-”

 

“I said _no._ ” She repeated, practically shooting daggers at Pearl. Breaking eye contact, her head shot over to the direction of the hallway that led them into the kitchen, as if looking for the escape. “I knew it was a bad idea coming here,” She muttered under her breath. “You're no different than _her_.”

 

Pearl blinked at Marina, speechless. The atmosphere had suddenly fallen painfully tense. There was the mention of that… _person_ again. Marina hadn’t brought them up since her apparent slip-up all those months ago.

 

It send an uncomfortable shiver right down the center of Pearl’s spine.

 

“Marina…” She started cautiously, as if approaching a startled animal. “We’ve been through this before… I am _not_ like whoever… _she_ is and I need you to understand that you-- What are you doing?” Pearl watched as Marina gritted her sharp teeth, baring her palms against the armrest. She pushed herself off of the seat, but the pain of her injury was too great so she ended up falling back into the chair, hissing with pain and frustration.

 

“Marina-! What-?!” Pearl had to keep herself from lunging out as she watched with wide, golden eyes. “Are you being _serious_ right now?”

 

“Does it look like I’m joking.” The octoling muttered flatly, making another futile attempt to stand up. “I… am not…” She struggled to lift herself one more, her arms shaking with effort. “... about to… get caught up… in something… like this again…” Her face screwed up with a deep grimace, forcing her to plop back down into the chair.

 

Pearl felt her heart sink to her gut. She didn’t want her friend to try and leave, especially now that she had some handle on just how bad her situation was.

 

“Marina, w-wait... _Please_ hear me out.” _Please don’t leave…_

 

The octoling released a deep sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose before pointedly glancing up in Pearl’s direction, as if waiting for the inkling to put on some type of magic show.

 

“ _What_.”

 

Pearl gulped nervously. “Okay, u-uhm… uhh…” _Shit!_ She frantically groped around for something to say, a solution to the problem because if she didn’t think of one quickly, Marina was just going to get up and walk out.

 

And that was the last thing that she wanted to happen.

 

It was at this moment that Pearl had suddenly conjured up an incredible idea.

 

An incredibly _stupid_ idea.

 

 _What the hell kinda plan is that?_ Pearl thought to herself angrily. She was trying to help Marina, not give her another a blatant reason to leave.

 

But still… it was the only thing Pearl had to work with, and time was running out. She had to give Marina a reason to _trust_ her.

 

“Okay… M-Marina?” Pearl's voice wavered when she was met with another intense, scornful glare. “Uhm… I know this is going to sound crazy, and I know it's already tough to trust me, in a strange, new place that you’ve never been to before, asking you to undress because, like, I get it. That’s stupidly suspicious, and just wrong on so many levels but... you’re hurt really bad and I’m worried about your wound and we really need to patch it up and so I thought that maybe to, y’know, uhh, well, I get it if you’ll think I’m even more crazy if I-”

 

“Cut to the chase, Pearl.” Marina interrupted, voice sharp as she squinted her eyes to fight another wave of pain.

 

“...W-Would it make you feel more comfortable if I did it with you?”

 

Marina cracked open one eye against the pain to look at Pearl in confusion. “Wuh… What?” She managed to ask through her labored breathing.

 

The smaller girl shifted anxiously in her seat, her body beginning to shake from fear. _Oh c-cod, please don’t think I’m a creep._ “W-Well, I don’t know if more comfortable is the word to use here, more like... _less_ _un_ comfortable.” She glanced away, her face beginning to heat with hot shame.

 

 _Oh dear cod, please please please don’t take this the wrong way._  “Well, I mean, this whole situation is really just a big pile of shit and I just- I don’t- what I’m trying to-” Pearl cut off her rambling and incomplete sentences by taking a deep breath to steady herself. She couldn’t believe that she was actually about to do this.

 

A familiar, sharp pain shot through her back, warning her to not go through her absolutely brainless decision, but Pearl had to push past her own pain and insecurities, for Marina’s sake.

 

It was honestly, her last hope.

 

Eventually, a pair of small, shaky hands made their way down to the hem of Pearl’s thin tank-top. In one fluid motion, Pearl pulled her shirt and bra over head before quickly raising a hand to her opposite shoulder to cover her exposed, flat chest. Marina’s eyes and mouth went wide with shock, her gaze frozen on the smaller girl before her.

 

Pearl shuddered under her stare, her ears drooping underneath her bobbed tentacles. “I-It’s just… You don’t have to…” She took another deep breath before finally meeting Marina’s eyes. “You’re n-not alone in this. We can be p-painfully uncomfortable, together. You can _trust_ me.”

 

The octoling’s mouth slowly closed as she held her lips in a tight line, her facial expression now unreadable. The inkling felt her skin burning, not only due to her wet pants, but also from the sheer amount of ignominy and humiliation she felt. She quickly clamped her eyes shut, trying to desperately get her emotions under control.

 

Pearl couldn’t _stand_ her body; not her underdeveloped chest, not her overly expressive ears and _definitely_ not the patches of permanent discoloration residing all across her back. All the horrors of her childhood suddenly started to come rushing back to her mind. A brief flash of white shined across her thoughts as she remembered that terrible day that caused everything in her life to go to shit. All the name-calling… the borderline alienation from her peers…

 

Pearl clutched the sides of her arms and shrunk back, making herself appear smaller than what she actually was. What was she doing, outing herself like this to Marina? She swore she could feel those teal eyes boring into her skin, looking at her out of disgust just like everyone else did. If Marina was thinking about leaving before, she would definitely want to leave now and then Pearl would be left alone, without the one friend that she had managed to make over the last several years.

 

She was _scared_ of that possibility.

 

A faint whimper escaped from Pearl lips as a sudden weight pressed down on her bouncing knee, stopping the involuntary, nervous tick. After a few moments of tense silence, Pearl hesitantly opened her eyes and saw that a teal-tipped hand was resting against her anxious limb. _Marina…?_ Cautiously, Pearl raised her head up, fearing the worst. Instead, she was met with Marina’s beautiful face looking at her with deep, genuine concern, a gaze Pearl had never seen the younger girl give to her. Those teal eyes were filled with both emotional and physical pain, tears threatening to spill over the lids.

 

Pearl then felt the hand softly squeeze her knee.

 

“I trust you.” Marina whispered, her voice so quiet that Pearl almost didn’t hear her. The inkling was rendered speechless at the gesture, unsure of what to really say or do. The pair held each other’s gazes as an unspoken language of understanding seemed to pass through them. Meanwhile, thunder rumbled gently from outside once more as the storm outside continued on at full force.

 

Eventually, Marina had to break their locked eyes as she suddenly winced, her hand shooting back over to hold her injured side. This seemed to snap Pearl out of her emotional stupor. Shoving her own insecurities to the back of her mind, the inkling’s face fell with quiet determination. Carefully, she reached out and placed a comforting hand on top of Marina’s.

 

“Let’s get you fixed up,” She murmured quietly. Marina met her eyes once more before slowly nodding in agreement. She then removed her hand from her side to allow Pearl to see the wound once more.

 

Marina _trusted_ Pearl in this moment of complete vulnerability, and that was something that the inkling could not take for granted.

 

 _Okay…_ Pearl thought, _we need take off her bra so we can finally start making progress._

 

Another sharp sting stabbed through the smaller girl’s back but she pointedly ignored the discomfort. As gently as she could, Pearl slipped her hands underneath the black material’s hem before trying to pull it away from Marina’s skin, which unknowingly, pulled the wound with it. Immediately, the octoling let out a barely stifled cry of pain, her hand shooting up to grip onto Pearl’s wrist, forcing the movement to halt. Pearl nearly jumped at the reaction, before leaning down to further inspect the area.

 

 _Did I miss something?_ It was only then that she had noticed that at the gash in her bra, most of the ink had hardened into an infantile scab, causing the wound to meld to the material. No wonder Marina had reacted so violently, trying to peel it away must have felt _excruciating_.

 

Deciding that she wanted Marina to experience the least amount of pain possible, Pearl turned and opened the first aid kit, taking out a pair of safety scissors.

 

She turned back to Marina, making a vague gesture to her chest. “Be ready to catch yourself, okay? I promise I won’t look unless I absolutely have to.”

 

The octoling nodded with understanding, “I-I promise I won’t, either.” Pearl nodded back gratefully before leaning in and began to cut away at the cloth. Marina was quick to wrap her arm to her opposite shoulder to keep herself from being completely exposed, unlike Pearl who had to remove her arm from her chest in order to cut the material. Marina had no intentions to break her promise, however, so it didn’t even really matter if she was covered or not.

 

Pearl was genuinely touched. She too, was in a state of vulnerability, but she trusted Marina like her friend trusted her.

 

Soon, all that remained of the bra was a small black square, stuck to her skin. Turning on the faucet, Pearl ran a clean dish towel under some warm water before bringing it down to the afflicted area. With a tender touch, she coaxed away the last bit of the material by loosening it with the water from the damp towel. At long last, Pearl had a clear view of the wound.

 

And it was _horrific_.

 

It started at the area below Marina’s armpit, trailing down in a vertical line before suddenly swooping to meet just right below her chest. It was a fairly large size and it seemed to run deep into her skin. The area was red and inflamed, a small amount of fresh ink still seeping out from the gash. Marina’s whole injured side was covered with the bright, sticky substance, but before they could work to clean her up, they first had to stabilize the cause of the problem.

 

Pearl gently placed the wet towel to the wound, slowly applying more pressure over time to stop the flow of ink. She felt Marina tense before releasing a small sigh of relief as the water seemed to cool her inflamed skin. Her eyes soon closed as her body began to relax. Subconsciously, her head began to roll forward before suddenly connecting with Pearl’s collar bone, surprising the inkling. Realizing her mistake, Marina abruptly reeled back, face hot with shame.

 

“I- uhm, I-I’m sorry.” She stuttered pitifully. “I d-didn’t mean to. I didn’t realize that, uhm, I-” Her words of apology were cut off as a pale hand raised to the back of her neck. Silently, Pearl gently guided the octoling’s head back down to her shoulder before removing her hand as if it was a casual interaction. The smaller girl didn’t utter a single word as she kept her attention fixated on the other hand that was still holding the damp towel.

 

Marina tensed at the action, unsure of how to respond. It was a rather awkward position, with Marina’s arm still across her chest, but the skin to skin contact seemed to help soothe the octoling a bit. As Pearl felt her gradually rest more of her body weight against her cream-colored shoulder, she released a small sigh of her own.

 

The gesture was honestly just... soothing, for the both of them. Marina was incredibly warm and Pearl was tempted to lean her head against her friend's, close her eyes and just forget about everything else happening. It felt.... strange, yet not at all unwelcome to be this closely intimate with the octoling. After all, this was the same girl who gave her a look that could splat, all because she had accidentally grabbed her hand back in the alleyway.

 

But the tides had rapidly changed course since then. Their moment of despair and anguish called for it.

 

After a few quiet minutes, Pearl cautiously pulled back the towel to check on the progress. Thankfully, the area had finally stopped inking, so now they could move onto the next step. Being mindful of the girl leaning against her, Pearl carefully reached over to the sink to wet the towel once more. She brought it back to Marina’s dirty skin and began to dab the area clean with a delicate touch. Once done, Pearl tossed the green-tinted towel into the sink before grabbing a new one. Her facial expression fell with discomfort as she reached back into the kit and pulled out some rubbing alcohol to pour onto the new towel.

 

“Marina,” Pearl began softly, her words whispering like a gentle breeze across the octoling's close ear. “This is probably gonna hurt, like a fuck-ton, but we gotta do it, okay?” She felt the younger girl nod hesitantly against her.

 

The next few moments was something that Pearl never wanted to experience ever again in her life. As soon as she had pressed the towel to Marina’s wound, the octoling cried out in agony. She immediately switched to her native language, which was a rare occurrence, and began to spout a slew of what were probably cuss words from in between her whimpers of pain. Pearl felt her bury her head deep into the crook of her neck as her toes curled underneath them at the terrible sensation. The teal-tipped hand holding her shoulder dug into the sun-kissed skin, leaving small, crescent shaped indents.

 

The smaller girl’s free hand had subconsciously found it’s way up to Marina’s naked back, rubbing small circles into her skin in hopes of providing some type of comfort. Gentle phrases such as “I know, I know, it’s okay” and “you’re doing great” began to slip out from her pale lips. Eventually, after what had seemed like an eternity, Pearl pulled away the damned cloth and threw it angrily over the kitchen counter, landing somewhere unseen in the living room. She quickly cradled the shivering girl with both arms, holding Marina close as the octoling fought through the rest of the subsiding stinging sensation through gritted teeth.

 

It was nearly midnight by the time that Pearl was able to bandage and dress Marina’s wound with a healthy amount of gauze before securing it in place with medical tape. The octoling herself was completely worn out and drained from the whole ordeal, remaining silent as Pearl worked on her. She sat back in her chair, quiet, unmoving, as Pearl finished applied the final touches to the bandage.

 

Once done, the inkling stood to her feet, wiping the perspiration from her forehead with a sigh in relief. However, the pair _still_ wasn’t done yet.  

 

“I’ll be right back, Marina.”

 

She began to walk out of the kitchen, shivering slightly as the air whipped past her bare chest and shoulders. She swore she could feel Marina's eyes staring in disbelief at the sight of her back, which only made her quicken her walking speed to her room. Her legs were also really starting to burn now, she needed to remove her soggy wet pants as soon as possible, but it would have to wait. Pearl needed to get Marina situated first, and that consisted of getting her changed and into Pearl’s room so she could sleep.

 

Porcelain fingers flicked on her closet light, propping her tired body up against the door frame. She needed to find something for Marina to wear, but she knew that none of her shirts would fit her friend comfortably. As her eyes scanned over all of her various shirts, she stopped on one in particular.

 

 _Oh, thank cod for this_.

 

She pulled down a pink hoodie with yellow sleeves, a jacket that was much too big for her. It would surely have no problem fitting Marina. Unfortunately, the inkling knew that she would not find the same kind of luck looking through her pants. She settled with choosing a simple pair of joggers, something that would at least be stretchy and somewhat comfortable. Satisfied enough, Pearl grabbed a random shirt and pair of shorts for herself before placing all of the clothes down onto her bed.

 

She then looked around the simple space of her bedroom, her mind deep in thought.

 

 _Getting her in here won’t be easy,_  Pearl thought pensively, _I need to make sure it’s good to go from when we do make it in._

 

Conjuring up a plan, she went into her restroom to pull out two more fluffy white towels. Peeling back the comforter, she laid one of the towels across the sheets while she left the other one at the foot of the bed along with their pants. Releasing a deep breath, Pearl then grabbed the two shirts and began to walk back to the kitchen.

 

When she returned, Marina was sitting slumped back into her chair, her eyes closed and arm still covering her chest. The smaller girl had thought that she was sleeping but when she called her name, a pair of teal eyes fluttered open in her direction, glazed over with lethargy and pain.

 

“Gotcha a hoodie,” Pearl offered quietly, holding up the soft material in question. Marina’s response was a blank stare at nothing in particular as the cotton-candy fluffy material was pulled over her head. Her cheeks rose the slightest bit with temperature but other than that, she bore no reaction.

 

Regardless, the inkling bent down and carefully guided Marina’s arms through the sleeve, being extra cautious as to not joslster the newly bandaged wound. The back of her fingertips ran faintly down the octoling’s soft skin as she pulled the hem of the big hoodie down to her waist. Once Marina was fully clothed again, Pearl turned and quickly threw on her own shirt. Her body shivered with relief as she was finally covered once more as well, no longer having to worry about… _that._

 

Now that they were both ready to go, Pearl stood to her full height and outstretched her arms to Marina. “C’mon, we’re almost done.” She prompted, hands opening and closing. Understanding what she needed to do, Marina reached out and gripped her hands within Pearl’s. She gritted her teeth against the pain as she was pulled off the seat and up to her feet. Almost immediately, she staggered forward, but Pearl was there to catch her. The inkling quickly wrapped the taller girl’s arm around the back of her neck, doing her best to take some of the weight.

 

Carefully as one unit, the pair put one foot in front of the other as they slowly began to make the short journey to Pearl’s room. Despite the sheer amount of pain that Marina must have been feeling, she did her best to keep her winces and whimpers of pain to herself, and Pearl quietly admired her for that.

 

When the two girls had finally made it to the bedroom, Pearl had to use all of her strength to help the taller girl onto her bed. With some struggling, she had eventually positioned Marina on top of the towel that she had laid out on the bed earlier.

 

However, they _still_ weren’t finished.

 

The inkling reached down and grabbed the pair of gray joggers from earlier before raising them up to the octoling in a silent question. Marina gazed at them with understanding yet, tired eyes. As carefully as she could, she reached down below to the waistband of her pants before suddenly flinching as another sharp sting of pain shot through her body. Due to the wound, she couldn't sit up because of the excruciating sensation. Her arms hung limply at her sides as she sighed in despair, giving up on the effort. She then parted her legs slightly, her eyes beginning to swell with tears as she shook her head from side to side with sorrow.

 

Pearl placed her hand on the bed and leaned down to Marina, her golden eyes lacking their usual vibrance. “Hey… I'm gonna be up here the whole time, okay?” She pointed from her eyes to Marina's with two fingers. “I _swear_ to you, I won’t look.” She promised, undoing the front button and sliding down the zipper. She watched sullenly as Marina stared up blankly to the ceiling before her lip started to quiver when she felt Pearl's warm hands on the hem of her jeans.

 

The younger girl sniffed as silent tears of humiliation and shame started streaming down her cheeks. Pearl watched her quietly cry as her hands blindly guided Marina's feet from out of each leg hole. _I'm so sorry._ Pearl couldn't even begin to imagine how degrading this whole process must be for Marina; to have someone change your clothes because you are physically unable to. _I'm so, so sorry._ Once her sodden pants and underwear were off, Pearl reached for the other towel and began to pat the exposed skin dry, refusing to look anywhere but Marina's face.

 

Once Pearl was sure that Marina was properly dried off, she grabbed hold of the towel underneath her and carefully slipped it out. The smaller girl then began to maneuver the simple pair of sweatpants onto her friend to rightfully cover her back up. Only when they were completely on did Pearl finally look down to make some final adjustments. They stopped at the middle of the octoling’s calf, making them look as if they were some type of capris and not actual pants.

 

Pearl gathered up all the wet material in her hands before throwing them from a distance into her nearby laundry hamper. After fluffing a few pillows, Pearl gently pulled the comforter up to Marina's shoulders, tucking her in for the night.

 

Once she was situated, Pearl stood up to full height. “I'll be sleeping in the living room. Call me if you need anything, okay?”

 

Marina didn't acknowledge her when she spoke, her dull eyes still fixated on the ceiling as the silent tears continued to stream from the corner of her eyes down to her ears. The inkling bit her lip before grabbing the pair of shorts on her bed and turning to exit the room. Just as she began to close the door behind her, Pearl heard a soft voice.

 

“...Maybe you really aren’t like her.”

 

She quickly turned over her shoulder to look back at the younger girl but when she did, Marina was still in the same frozen position as if refusing to met the inkling’s eyes.

 

“Marina, I…” Pearl struggled to find her own voice, her heart heavy with emotion. “I-I’m sorry...” She whispered, her voice small and worn out. She didn’t know what else to say. Her temple was throbbing, too much was happening all at once and she couldn’t keep up.

 

If Marina was listening, she gave no sign that she had heard Pearl.

 

The inkling chewed on her lip once more before pitifully murmuring a quiet “good night", leaving the door partially cracked as she left the room.

 

Pearl's bare feet padded softly along the wooden floor as they dragged her into the living room. As she continued to walk, she flung off her wet pants before quickly putting on her dry pair of shorts. Not even bothering to get a blanket from the nearby closet, she slunk down into her plump couch, curling up into a small ball. Her exhausted body trembled from both anxiety and the cold air as she tried to hug herself tighter to preserve her body temperature.

 

Pearl honestly didn't know how to handle the various slew of foreign emotions she was feeling at that moment. All she knew is that she wanted to sleep and then when she would awake, she would hopefully be able to fully comprehend the events of tonight.

 

Because honestly... what the _fuck_ happened today.

 

When she had woke up this morning, Pearl was bouncing on her toes, excited about her first street performance with Marina. Somehow, the day had gone from that innocent, child-like joy to despair, pain and suffering in seemingly a blink of the eye. They weren't able to put on their show, Marina was currently in her room, despondent and badly injured and Pearl was curled into a pitiful, shaking ball of uncertainty.

 

She flinched when she felt an all too familiar sting in her back. Pale hands gripped the sleeves of her shirt, as if worried that the material was about to suddenly fly off of her at any moment, exposing all her flaws for the whole world to see. She felt her ear droop with apprehension before quickly reaching up to make sure that they were indeed covered by her tentacles. The small inkling tucked her legs further into her chest, her forehead practically touching her knees. She willed the troublesome thoughts out of her mind, she didn’t want to think about any of that shit right now.

 

Eventually, the gentle pitter patter of the rain hitting the nearby window began to lull her into the first stages of unconsciousness. The last thing Pearl remembered before drifting off to sleep was just one simple color.

  
Green.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, I've created a Twitter if anyone is interested! On here, I'll be posting updates and sneak peeks in relation to my stories, or just Pearlina-esc things in general. Tag is @CJ_WalkerFics - https://twitter.com/CJ_WalkerFics
> 
> Anyways, hope you all enjoyed this chapter! It appears that Marina isn't the only one with skeletons in the closet...


	6. The Morning After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is over 10,000 words long, and I am only partially sorry

The next morning, Pearl awoke completely disoriented. Her golden eyes squinted with effort as she tried to get them into focus and out of the haziness that accompanied sleep. Cream eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she vaguely took in her surroundings. Couch. Coffee table. Television. Some old leftovers of a forgotten freezer dinner displaced on the adjacent love seat.

 

Hm.

 

This wasn't her room.

 

The sleepy inkling brought her gaze back over to the TV, noting that it was off. Pearl thought that maybe she had fallen asleep once again after binging another slew of episodes from _The Big Thang Theory_ , but she ruled off that possibility considering the TV wasn't even on.

 

Blinking in bewilderment, Pearl eventually shrugged the thought off and made the feeble attempt to sit up. Although her couch was plump, coated in soft cotton, it was a bit _too_ soft, due to its’ old age. The small inkling was sunken into the cushions, giving her back little to no support and causing it to ache with a dull pain. She let her body fall limp, deciding that she could do with another few minutes of sleep. It was probably too damn early anyway, as indicated by the soft rays of yellow phasing through her living room curtains.

 

As Pearl began to drift back off into slumber, she suddenly let out an annoyed groan.

 

_Wait… don't I have to work today? Fuck._

 

Begrudgingly, she sat up slowly with a wide, tired yawn before managing to swing her feet over the edge of the couch. A pair of small hands rubbed sleepily at her eyes before they pushed her up to stand. When her bare feet touched the cold, hardwood floor, she shivered, wishing she was instead met with the thick, plush carpet found in her room.

 

_I. Need. Coffee._

 

Like a lumbering sea-bear, she reached underneath her shirt to scratch at her side. Letting loose another feral yawn, Pearl began to trudge her way to the kitchen. Her tongue smacked in disgust at the taste of her foul morning breath. _Gross..._ She suddenly squeaked in shock when something disgustingly wet squished in between her toes, causing one foot to abruptly skid away from the other. Thankfully, her body soon had enough cod damn sense to adjust her center of gravity by allowing her to fall off to her side so she wouldn't break her legs due to a forced split.

 

“Ow...” After a few moments of rubbing the ache away on her elbow, Pearl rolled herself up into a sitting position. Her face was set in an annoyed scowl as her eyes scanned across the floor to locate the thing that decided to disrespect her. The golden pair soon settled on a white towel laying haphazardly along the wood. Bewildered, she reached a pale hand out to pick up the material. Pearl knew her apartment wasn't the most pristine or immaculate, but she wasn't _this_ careless, with her laundry, at least.

 

_Dude, what the h-_

 

Her thoughts were cut off as the harsh smell of chemicals suddenly slammed into her senses. Why in the name of Great Zapfish was there a sodden towel on her floor that smelled of-  she gave a wary sniff - _alcohol?_ Why was there-

 

In that moment, Pearl felt like someone had suddenly hit her upside the head with the shell of an explosher as the events from the previous night came rushing back to her at full force. The Reef, music, rain, mice, shoe, Marina, hands, home, kitchen, towels, Marina, chair, jacket, Marina. Marina. _Marina._ Pearl felt an ear flick nervously as her heart pounded in her chest, like the feeling she got back in grade school when she suddenly remembered that her class had homework, _right_ as she was walking into the room.

 

 _Marina_ …

 

With shaky hands, Pearl pushed herself to her feet and began to pad softly in the direction of her room. With a quiet touch, she soon pushed the door to her bedroom open and walked in. The room was dark and static, save from the gentle light filtering in through the blinds of the window, casting yellow stripes onto the carpeted floor. With a nervous gulp, Pearl subconsciously rubbed her elbow as she began to walk towards the shape lying on her bed.

 

Marina was sleeping, her face still and expressionless. She was positioned on her back, the comforter snug and tucked against her lithe body. The only indication that the octoling had moved last night was the sight of a yellow sleeve poking out from underneath the blanket as it dangled in the air off the edge of the mattress.

 

Pearl let out a quiet sigh of relief as she observed her sleeping friend.

 

_I'm glad she had managed to fall asleep._

 

A set of cream-colored fingers ran absentmindedly across the pillow that Marina’s head was resting against. Pearl’s expression fell with deep thought as her golden eyes gazed down at the material in between her hand.

 

Marina had gone through so much last night, and Pearl honestly couldn't believe how strong she was, because had that been her in Marina's shoes, she probably would have reacted ten times worse. Pearl wondered how the wound was holding up, and if it was any less angry than the night previous. _Probably not…_ The gash was so bad that it basically rendered Marina immobile; The octoling couldn't even walk or hardly stand on her own.

 

It then occurred to Pearl that, at least for the next few days, Marina would more than likely still need help getting around.

 

And she couldn't provide that help if she was stuck, ringing up stupid groceries for impatient customers at Mako Mart.

 

Knowing that Marina needed her rest, Pearl left the room as quietly as she had entered and tip-toed her way back into the living room. She grabbed her phone from the kitchen counter and began to hastily type up an e-mail to her boss.

 

_Mr. EIghine,_

_Sorry fir tge kate nitufce, byr U wukk bit ve avke-_

 

Pearl stopped typing and scowled down at her phone. _Ugh… Piece of shit got water damaged from last night…_ It seemed like the longer she typed, the less responsive her keyboard became. Taking a seat on the couch, Pearl concentrated on typing out her message, one letter and several back spaces at a time.

 

_Mr. Eugine,_

_Sorry for the late notice, but I won’t be able to come in to work for the next few days. I have some family things that I need to attend to._

_Pearl Houzuki._

 

It took Pearl ten minutes to type out the two simple sentences, making her extremely irritated. She quickly tapped send and tossed her phone beside her, glad that the unnecessary ordeal was over. Although it was great that she would now be able to stay home to watch over Marina, Pearl found herself growing anxious. She leaned on the armrest of the couch and pinched the bridge of her nose. Her knee soon started to bounce, one of her most notable signs of discomfort.

 

She sighed warily.

 

_Oh, fuck me..._

 

Not going to work meant that she wasn't going to deal with annoying customers. Not dealing with annoying customers meant that she going to have a few days off. Having a few days off meant that she wasn't going to clock in. Not clocking in meant that she wasn't going to get a check.

 

Not getting a check meant that she wasn't going to get paid.

 

Not getting paid meant that she would really, _really_ be stretched thin for this month’s bills.

 

“C-Cod damn it…” Pearl muttered into her palms as she hunched over her knees. She was already pressed tight on bills as it was; how the hell was she supposed to finish paying this month’s rent _and_ care for Marina at the same time? She needed the money, but her friend needed her as well...

 

The inkling nearly flinched out of her skin when suddenly, her phone started to ring. The chip-tune version of Wet Floor’s “Now or Never” was really jarring and borderline annoying, given the current sentiment. Already vexed due to the circumstances, Pearl let out a grunt before picking up the device to check the caller ID.

 

Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach when she read who was calling her.

 

Pearl chewed on her lip as she stared at her phone, thumb habitually hovering over the well known red button. She wasn’t in the mood to talk to them right now. She had enough on going on as it was, between trying to figure out how to pay her bill's and how to care of a severely injured octoling. Adding this on top of everything was sure to cause her brain to shut down for good.

 

_Sorry, but… not right now._

 

Letting out a deep sigh, the inkling sat with a bit more posture and moved her thumb across the screen. Unfortunately, her water damaged phone decided that this was the _perfect_ time to disrespect her once more by sliding the phone icon over to the green button instead. _You son of a-!_ Pearl felt her ink run cold as she stared at her phone in disbelief for several heartbeats. She then cautiously raised the phone to her ear and listened to the silence on from the other end of the line.

 

Maybe they hung up before she answered? She glanced back down to her phone.

 

_Call time: 0:01… 0:02… 0:03…_

 

Nope, the call was most definitely live and Pearl realized that the recipient could more than likely hear her breathing from the other line.

 

Sighing inwardly with defeat, Pearl realized that there was no getting her way out of this unfortunate predicament. She slowly brought the phone back up to her ear, her small body going rigid.

 

When she spoke, her voice was strained and awkward.

 

“U-Uhm... Hello?”

 

“... _Pearl?!_ ” A gruff yet, excited voice exclaimed from the other end. “ _Holy mackerel, I didn't think you'd answer!”_

 

Pearl's ears twitched in discomfort as she tugged at the collar of her shirt.

 

“Hey, dad…”

 

There was a muffled laugh, “ _Man, it's been a while since I’ve last heard from you!_ _How's my favorite daughter doing?_ ”

 

Pearl's eyebrows furrowed, bringing the palm of her hand to her forehead. “I'm your only daughter…”

 

 _"Exactly! More reasons for you to be my favorite!”_ There was some indiscernible shuffling on the side before the voice on the other end sounded clearer. _“Anyways, how are things? Mom and I saw the news about the bad storm that just swept through your area. I just wanted to call and make sure you're doing alright.”_

 

"Oh. Yeah, that…” Pearl walked over to her living room window and peeked out from behind the curtain. A pale hand connected with the pane, noting that it was chilly to the touch. She squinted as the soft dawn light hit her eyes, reflecting across the droplets of water against the glass. The sky was speckled with waning storm clouds as the sun peeked out from in between them. The streets and sidewalks were littered with various puddle sizes and natural debris such as twigs and leaves lay scattered here and there along the grass and pavements. Thankfully other than that, it appeared that the storm outside was over.

 

But Pearl feared the storm _inside_ was only just beginning.

 

“I'm doing okay,” She answered eventually, turning away the window. “I got… caught up in some of it, but it was nothing that I couldn't handle.”

 

 _“Well, that’s good to hear!”_ Her father replied joviously. _“I always knew our little Pearlie was as tough as her old man and as smart as her mother!”_

 

Pearl’s cream colored eyebrows furrowed together once more upon hearing the nickname. It literally reminded her of all the things that she was constantly trying to forget and erase from her memory.

 

“Dad.” She muttered tersely, “The nickname. Unnecessary.”

 

_“Ah, sorry about that, I forgot! I just can’t help it, aheh… It just reminds me of when you were little and-”_

 

“Is there something you need, dad?” Pearl interrupted. She flinched, startled by her own rudeness and nervously tapped the side of her phone with her index finger. She didn't mean to snap, but she had a lot of things going on at the moment. With her dad calling her out of the blue like this, with all his usual ridiculous jokes and aloofness, it had really set her nerves off.

 

There were a few moments of silence before the deep voice spoke once more from the other end.

 

_“Jeez… Do I need to have a reason to call my daughter?”_

 

Pearl felt her face warm with guilt. “Well… no, but-”

 

 _“You know…”_ Her father interrupted, his voice bleary. _“It pains us, both me and your mother, that you don't answer our calls. That's why I was honestly so surprised, yet so relieved when you answered today. The last time we talked was several months ago. We're constantly worried about you Pearl, worried that one day you could just…disappear, and we wouldn't have a single clue.”_

 

“I-I'm sorry…” Pearl mumbled, a lump of shame rising to her throat. It wasn't that she wanted to excommunicate herself from her family or anything, it's just that everytime her family called, she didn't have anything relevant or great to talk about, and she honestly didn't want them to know about her failures. After all, it was her decision to refuse any financial help from them after she decided to move out; what would they think of her if she backed out and changed her mind? Her life was a pile of mediocre shit, every day dragging and blending into the next.

 

That is, until Pearl met Marina because she changed _everything_.

 

She heard a deep sigh from the other line. _“No need to be sorry, just be… around, okay? We know you wanted to go off and do your own things, but we're still here. We're not asking you to call us everyday, but to just stay in touch. We'd love to hear about your day sometime, to learn all about what's going on with our little girl.”_

 

“O-Oh. Well, uhm, okay.” There were a few moments of silence as Pearl took a moment to gather her thoughts. _I guess I could bring her up..._

 

 _“Sooo…”_ Her father prompted, _“What's been going on? Or should I say, ‘what's kraken’?”_

 

Pearl ignored the her father's lame attempt at trying to be “hip and young”, an ear flicking in amusement. “Actually, I, uhm… Well, I… met someone.”

 

 _“Whaaat?”_ The curiosity was clearly evident in the older man's voice. _“How scandalous! Who’s the lucky guy?”_

 

 _Cod damn it,_ Pearl thought, dragging a tired hand through her hair.

 

It was going to be one of _those_ conversations.

 

“I, uhm…” The small inkling swallowed nervously, gripping at the material of her shirt. “...For starters, s-she’s not a guy.”

 

Pearl was immediately met with strong silence from the other end of the line.

 

She had never officially come out to her parents; not because she was ashamed or anything, but just because she felt the situation never really called for it. Of the few partners that Pearl had been with, none of them turned out to be anyone that she would willingly want to introduce to her parents. She really didn’t know her parents views on the subject matter, but she quickly found herself feeling self-conscious and borderline exposed.

 

 _"Well…”_ The deep voice sounded through the phone, _“Are you gonna keep me hanging over here, or are you actually gonna tell me about this girl?”_

 

Pearl released the breath of air she didn’t even know she was holding in.

 

She smiled softly as her gaze fell on nothing in particular.

 

_Thanks, dad._

 

“Her name is Marina.”

 

There was an intrigued hum from the other side of the line. _“Marina, eh? That’s a pretty name, for a pretty girl, I’m sure.”_

 

Pearl's face blushed to a soft pink as the image of her friend smiling swept across her thoughts.  “S-Something like that.”

 

_“So, tell me about her, Pearl! I need the dots- uhh…  how do you kids say it? Doots? Or is it deets?”_

 

Pearl laughed though her nose as she gave a solid stretch, her body letting go of a lot of built up tension.  “Well... we met a few months ago and-”

 

_“Also, I'm gonna need her last name, her shoe size and height, her Instaclam handle, where she lives, her date of birth, birth certificate, social security ca-”_

 

“DAD.”

 

 _“Haha! Only kidding! ...Mostly.”_ Pearl rolled her eyes as she reached out to take a few sips from a glass of water left forgotten on the coffee table. Her dad _always_ had to do the absolute most.

 

_“So... I'm assuming that you liiiike this mystery girl?”_

 

Pearl nearly did a spit-take of her drink, her fingers barely managing to keep the phone from falling to the ground. She quickly pounded a small fist against her chest, coughing awkwardly as she felt her face flush with heat.

 

 _"Daaad…”_ Pearl grumbled after regaining her ability to breath.

 

There was a muffled laugh from the other line. _“What? Your old man is curious!”_

 

The small inkling pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. Despite her embarrassment, Pearl took a moment to ponder upon the idea. _Do I like Marina?_ Well, Pearl knew that she liked Marina’s face, as in she was physically attracted to her. The younger girl was an absolute genetic marvel; every possible feature about her seemed to be perfect to Pearl. She also liked hanging out with Marina, she liked her singing voice. She liked Marina’s unique laugh, and how she was just as crazy about music as Pearl was.

 

But did Pearl _like_ Marina? That, she wasn’t quite sure of. Did she harbor romantic feelings for her friend, or were they all just simply platonic? Pearl knew that she would be lying to herself if she didn’t say that there hadn’t been a few times of where she thought about holding Marina’s hand, or giving her a hug after a day of hanging out… or even wondering what it would be like to just maybe, possibly, know if the octoling's lips were as soft as they looked.

 

Hmm… that last one didn't quite seem platonic at all, but that didn't necessarily mean anything, right?

 

“... I don't know.” Pearl answered honestly at length. She released a weighted sigh, that subject was the last of her problems. “But dad, you see… Marina’s been through some… _stuff_ ,” Pearl didn't dare try and elaborate what ‘stuff’ implied, especially in regards to what had happened between them the night previous.  “I… I don’t know how to help her cope. Like…” She took a moment and ran her fingers loosely through her tentacles. “I wish she would just tell me what’s wrong, so I can do my best to help her, but she’s so reluctant to receive that help. I just don't get it.”

 

There was a thoughtful hum from the other line. _“Well… think about it this way, Pearl.”_ There was a brief pause. _“Have you ever had anything happen to you that you don’t want to bring up to anyone?”_ The small inkling gulped as a dull ache made a presence along her back. She knew exactly what her father was referring to.

 

“...yes.”

 

_"How are you feeling, by the way? Do you still get those-”_

 

“I'm fine.” Pearl muttered hastily, effectively cutting off the other voice.

 

She heard a tired sigh. _“Okay… so then if you don't want to talk about your problems, is it not too far-fetched to say that maybe Marina just doesn’t want to talk about hers, either?”_

 

Pearl opened her mouth, intended to deliver a rebuttal, but as she pondered upon the thought, she realized that her dad must've been right. If Marina felt even the _slightest_ bit of what Pearl felt when it came to her insecurities, then of course she wouldn't want to talk about it.

 

“I… guess you're right.” She admitted quietly.

 

 _“Just a word of advice,”_ Her father cautioned, _“For the love Great Zapfish, please do not force her to talk about it. I learned that from experience, long before I met your mother, aheh. Actually, I remember back when-”_

 

“Dad,”Pearl interrupted with a small grin. “Please don't tell another one of your embarrassing school stories.”

 

There was a light snicker from her father. _“Oh, alright. I think you may have heard that one, anyways.”_ There was a sudden, loud ring from the other line followed by some muffled shuffling and distant voices. _“Gosh darn it… Hey Pearl, I gotta get going to the office this morning, so I gotta let you go. It was great catching up! I love you and remember to keep me and mom close if you ever need any help or anything!”_

 

Pearl flinched in her seat, her mind racing back to the set of previous thoughts from earlier. “A-Actually, dad, wait…” Pearl swallowed nervously, her ears dropping under her tentacles. She had to suck it up and push her ego and pride to the side. “I-I, uhm, I do need help…”

 

The shuffling on the other end halted immediately. _“Huh? What's wrong?”_

 

“It's just… I-I've been having a hard time with finances lately and I had some… unexpected things come up this month and I'm not sure if I can afford everything at the moment…”

 

She was met with a brief pause before her father spoke in a gentle tone. _“How much do you need, Pearlie- sorry, Pearl?”_

 

Pearl's rubbed the back of her neck. “W-Well, if it isn't too much of a problem, I-”

 

 _“Pearl,”_ His voice was stern in a parental way. _“I'm your_ father _. You're never ‘a problem’. Plus, you know we have plenty of money to go around, and don't you think for a second that it only belongs to me and mom. Do you want to start getting allowance again? Here, I'll send some over right now.”_

 

“Wait, you don’t need to-” Pearl's phone promptly buzzed with a notification. Pulling it away from her ear, she unlocked her phone to see that a transfer had been made to her bank account.

 

Her jaw dropped to the floor upon seeing the amount.

 

“D-Dad!” Pearl stammered, her eyes blinking with disbelief. “I don't need this much!”

 

_“Well, too bad ‘cause you're stuck with it! Anyways, I really gotta go now. Love ya always Pearl, and talk to ya later!”_

 

“Wait, but I-” A low drone sounded from the other side of the line, indicating that the call had ended. Sighing in defeat, Pearl slowly brought the phone away from her ear, and hastily wiped at a lone tear that crept up to the corner of her eye.

 

She gave a faint smile as she stared at the device in her hands.

 

_Love you too, dad._

 

Well, Pearl suddenly found her financial situation fixed in the blink of an eye. Honestly, the money her dad gave her could keep her from going back to work for several months, but Pearl wasn't just going to take complete advantage of it and waste it all away. She'd still go back to work, buuuuut later.

 

Much, _much_ later...

 

Instead, she thought about how she could use the money to help Marina out. Get her those new clothes she rightfully deserved, maybe a new guitar too. Didn't her friend also say that she used to play piano? A new keyboard was a must because Pearl's old, busted one would probably serve the octoling no justice. Oh! And maybe Pearl could finally turn her junky, spare office space into a small yet, effective music studio. They could sound proof it and jam out until their hearts were content.

 

She smiled to herself as she took her empty glass to the kitchen, thinking of all the things she and Marina could do together.

 

Maybe the brunt of the storm was passing after all.

 

Pearl's ears suddenly perked up as her phone buzzed with a notification from within her pocket. Unlocking it once more, she saw that she had a new text message.

 

**_Dad: 8:17 am_ **

_That's my girl, making those moves just like her old man did back in the day_ (¬‿¬)

 

Pearl blushed furiously before hastily typing back a reply.

 

**_Me: 8:18 am_ **

_GOODBYE DAD._

 

Now in a much better mood, Pearl spent the morning and afternoon cleaning up her messy apartment. It was a pain in the ass to clean up all the hardened mud that was stuck to the floor near the front door, but regardless, she managed well enough. She threw away Marina's old, wet clothes, determined that she would take her friend shopping sometime in the very near future. It should've only taken an hour max, but Pearl had always had a hard time focusing when doing chores, as she found ways to get distracted every ten seconds. Regardless, she was eventually able to finish cleaning her apartment, the hardwood floor and counters sparkling with delight by the time she was done.

 

The aroma of sizzling cheese and butter filled the kitchen as Pearl stood near the stove, flipping a fresh grilled cheese sandwich. Pearl wasn't the... best at cooking, not by a long shot, but if there was anything she knew how to make, it was a _fire_ grilled cheese sandwich, paired with a soothing bowl of tomato soup. The small inkling had high quality standards when it came to the craft of making the simple yet, intricate sandwich. She made sure to use only the fluffiest bread and butter both sides before placing it to sizzle in the pan until it was a nice, crispy golden brown.

 

“Gimme that cheese, please,” Pearl free-styled quietly, “Better than the bees knees. Flippin’ high into the sky, satisfaction guaranteed!” She smirked to herself, impressed with her own improvisational skills. _Not bad, MC. Not bad at all._

 

There were supposed to be two sandwiches, but Pearl had already inhaled hers, damn near burning her mouth off in the process. The other one was for Marina, whom she was on her way to deliver to now. Balancing the hot bowl of soup on the plate with the sandwich, Pearl lifted her hand above her shoulder and carried the food proudly, as if she was an elegant waiter. She quickly dismissed this grandiose plan when she slipped on a spot on the title floor that hadn't finished drying yet, nearly causing her to drop the food to the floor.

 

 _Aaaaaand, that's enough of that,_ she thought with a nervous laugh.

 

Despite her near fuck up, Pearl hummed happily as she made her way over to her room, spirits still heightened from the talk with her father. Quietly, she pushed the door leading into her bedroom open with her back. She had expected Marina to be awake at this point, but instead…

 

The octoling still hadn't appeared to have moved a muscle since last night.

 

Pearl frowned as she looked over to the still sleeping girl, taking a few more steps onto the room. She knew Marina must have been exhausted and needed her rest but… how long was she going to sleep? It had been over twelve hours at this point and she hadn't seen or heard a peep from her friend. Did severely wounded people really sleep this undisturbed for so long? Was Marina in a… comma? Colma? Whatever the fuck those things were called when someone would sleep for hours on end.

 

Pearl's lips coiled into a tight line as a rather horrific thought suddenly crossed her mind.

 

Unless…

 

_No…_

 

She pointedly set the food down on her night stand as her heart sank to the pits of her gut. When she soon approached the bed, Pearl reached out and ardently took the hand that was still hanging off the bed within her own.

 

It was cold.

 

The inkling blinked at the limp hand within her own before her head jerked up to Marina's still face. Her lips drew back into an even tighter line as cream eyebrows bunched together. Unnerved, Pearl shot up two shaky fingers and placed them against Marina's neck.

 

She didn't feel anything.

 

A low, disbelieving grunt escaped from the back of her throat. Pearl's scowl only etched deeper into her pale face as she suddenly yanked back the comforter. Pressing the side of her face against the thick, soft material that covered Marina's chest, Pearl listened carefully and cautiously.

 

She didn't hear anything.

 

“S-Shit.” She pulled away for a brief moment to tuck a pink tentacle behind her ear before bringing her head back down. “Reena, don't you fucking dare…” Ink rushed to her ears as they strained to detect any sound from the girl beneath her.

 

She still didn't hear anything.

 

“...F-Fuck...” A borderline scared hitch had caught her voice as Pearl pulled herself to full height. She looked up to Marina's face, realizing for the first time just how much her dark skin was lacking in it's usual richness. Her tentacles were also still, unmoving and uncanny as if they were…

 

Lifeless.

 

Pearl swallowed nervously. How did she not notice any of this before?

 

“Marina…?”

 

No reply.

 

Pearl's lip quivered, her frown quickly turning worrisome. _No…_ “Reena... D-Don't do this to me…” She frantically checked her neck again, but soon realized that she didn't even know where she was actually supposed to place her fingers to find the pulse. Dismayed, Pearl held Marina's limp hand once more and placed the other to her forehead. They were both cold, everything was cold, why was Marina so _cold?_

 

“Nononono…” On a terrified impulse, the inkling yanked up Marina's hoodie, completely exposing the soft, dark skin residing underneath. Not paying any mind to maintaining decency, Pearl placed a hand to Marina's toned abdomen and pressed an ear flush against her bare chest in a last desperate attempt to detect _something_.

 

_P-Please..._

 

Her whole body soon shivered with overwhelming relief when she finally felt and heard a steady beating heart. A surprisingly _strong_ heartbeat at that. Pearl let out a shaky breath as she let her eyes fall shut, the ardent, warm tempo pulsating through her skin and soothing her frayed nerves. She slumped against her friend, taking a moment to get her emotions back under control.

 

_Oh, thank cod..._

 

Pearl wouldn't have known what to do if the outcome had went the… _other_ direction. She kept the side of her face pressed against Marina for a few quiet moments before she eventually pulled away. Realizing that she had unintentionally crossed well beyond a boundary that Marina would not approve of, Pearl's face heated with hot shame. With apologetic fingertips, she gently pulled the hoodie back down her friend's torso, covering her once more. It was only then that Pearl truly realized just how thick the material was.

 

She sighed mentally. _Of course I couldn't feel her heartbeat. It was because of this hoodie._

 

Pearl took Marina's displaced hand and cradled it within both of hers. Her friend probably lost a lot of ink last night, which could explain why she was so cold. Pearl rubbed at the said hand vigorously, blowing hot air onto it in an attempt to get the ink flowing again. Once she had felt some warmth return, she tucked it back underneath the blanket and made sure that Marina was covered from her neck, all the way down to her toes.

 

However, despite knowing that the octoling was breathing, Pearl _needed_ to see that she was actually alive. “Marina…” Pearl held her by the shoulders and gently shook her. “Marina, w-wake up…” After a few moments, the younger girl's eyebrow twitched before her unique, teal eyes slowly opened. They remained half-lidded and hazy as they gazed all around the room before eventually settling on Pearl.

 

Those teal eyes suddenly widened with fear and confusion.

 

Marina shot up in a panic, nearly headbutting Pearl in the process. Immediately, she cried out in agony, unintentionally disrupting her newly bandaged wound. She fell back down onto the bed, throwing her hands down to her side. When that didn’t seem to alleviate the pain, she twisted her body back and forth, fingers clawing at the flailing sheets as if she were trying to get away from the terrible sensation. Unfortunately, this only seemed to make matters worse. Her teal eyes clamped shut at she continued to writhe around the bed in indescribable pain, moans of anguish escaping through her gritted teeth.

 

“W-Whoa-hey-! Marina, it’s okay!” Pearl called, placing a gentle hand to Marina's shoulder in an attempt to calm her erratic movements. “You gotta stop moving, or you’re gonna make it worse!” Marina seemingly ignored her, still hissing and squirming in pain, disoriented and unsure of what was happening to her. She rolled away from Pearl, blindly lashing out a hand to snatch up a pillow. Her sharp teeth sunk deeply into the soft material in an attempt to silence her cries of agony.

 

Refusing to be outdone, Pearl stumbled hastily to the other side of the bed and this time, placed a hand on either side of her friend's shoulders. “Marina, hey…” She didn't have the slightest clue on what to do, so she just started rambling in what she hoped was a comforting voice.

 

“Hey, it's me, Pearl. We're back at my place, remember? You hurt yourself real bad yesterday so that's why your in so much pain right now. I know it probably hurts like hell, but you gotta calm down and stop moving…” Eventually, her course of action seemed to work. The octoling let out a few strained breaths of air before weakly curling up into a fetal position, resting against her uninjured side.

 

Pearl swallowed nervously as she listened to her friend’s ragged breathing. “Marina…?” She tried again, lightly squeezing her fingers through the plush fabric on her friend’s shoulder. “Can you hear me?”

 

The younger girl opened one eye, forehead dotted with perspiration from her struggle.

 

She gave the faintest of nods.

 

“What… What can I do to help you?” Pearl asked earnestly, leaning in. Marina didn't give a response but instead, stared off into the distance, her eyebrows twitching as she winced with each breath. Gritting her sharp teeth, a teal-tipped hand raised to her chest and clutched at the soft fabric of the pink and yellow hoodie.

 

Another small whimper of pain escaped through her lips as she struggled to breath properly.

 

“Marina…” Pearl piped up, her golden eyes clouded with concern. “I-I don't really know shit about what to do in these kinds of situations, so you gotta help me out here…” That much, was true. Pearl may have known how to disinfect and properly bandage a wound, but that was a far cry from knowing what to do beyond that. Well, she figured that wasn't anything that a quick internet search on _Glooga_ couldn't fix... hopefully.

 

Regardless, she needed to know what was currently wrong with Marina, because it seemed like something other than her injury was bothering her.

 

“What do you need from me?” Pearl reiterated, her voice nearly desperate. She watched intently as Marina’s vision seemed to phase in and out of clarity as she tried to focus solely on Pearl. Despite this, she managed to open her mouth to speak.

 

“I-”

 

Unfortunately, her voice clipped as her lithe body suddenly went into an aggressive coughing fit. The octoling whimpered out in pain in between her coughs as her wound was bolstered with every involuntary rack from her body, her hands feebly clutching into the sheets of the bed. _Oh cod, that sounds terrible..._ The coughs were loud yet, dry, signifying that they thankfully weren't sickness related although, that didn't make them any less concerning. More alarmed than ever, Pearl moved to take a seat on the bed beside Marina before reaching out a pale hand to rub at her friend’s back, hoping to take some of the pain away. Whether her tactic actually helped any or not, the octoling's coughing fit eventually subsided, leaving her breathing labored.

 

Clearly exhausted and disoriented, Marina slumped once more into the sheets, her body broken and trembling. “ngh...w-wa..ter…” She rasped, eyes clamped shut and tears pricking at the corners. “...plea...se...” Pearl’s ears perked up when she heard the quiet voice. Even though Marina couldn’t see her, Pearl nodded briskly.

 

“You got it,” She promised, relieved to finally have a command that she could follow. She quickly climbed off of the bed. “I’ll be right back.” Within moments, Pearl had returned to the room, holding a chilled bottle of water within her hands. She looked down to Marina with furrowed eyebrows, realizing that her friend couldn’t drink anything in her current position.

 

“C’mon, Reena,” Pearl murmured as she rearranged some of the fluffy pillows against the headboard. “We need to get you up and sitting.” She walked over to the other side of the bed once more and linked her arms underneath Marina’s, intending to pull her up into the desired position.

 

The octoling immediately tensed against her chest, her voice small and pleading. “N-No… h...hurts...”

 

Pearl felt her heart lurch, warming her throat and making it uncomfortable to swallow. “I know it hurts, but we just gotta, okay?” Marina shook her head, making a meek attempt to struggle out of Pearl’s arms, wincing as she did so.

 

Pearl had to catch herself before she looked at her friend out of pity. “Hey… Marina, look at me.” Maybe it was the tone of her voice, with how soft and comforting it was that eventually encouraged Marina to open her eyes to meet her friends. “I’ve got you, remember? It's okay.”

 

Her quiet words seemed to help soothe her unsteady friend. Letting out a tired sigh, Marina nodded her head in understanding. Pearl blinked down at her gratefully before taking in a deep breath. Bracing her feet against the carpet, she hugged Marina and grunted with effort as she hoisted her up towards the headboard. The inkling made a mental note to start lifting weights or _something_ because it's been the honest struggle trying to maneuver Marina's body due to their significant height and weight difference.

 

Pearl realized that she was going to have to do _a lot_ of lifting until her friend was well enough to move around on her own.

 

Marina bit her lip to silence any further cries of pain as Pearl adjusted her position. She wasn't completely sitting up, as her lower back was still touching the soft mattress, but the small movement was still painful regardless.

 

“There we go,” Pearl murmured out as she fluffed the pillows out underneath her friend. “Not too bad, right?” Once she was situated, Pearl reached out and grabbed the cool water bottle to offer it to Marina. The octoling noted the drink with tired yet, eager eyes and took it graciously. It was only then that Pearl noticed that Marina's hands were shaky and unsteady. Due to her involuntary trembling, she struggled to keep her grip on the bottle, the water inside swishing about and some spilling out onto the plush comforter.

 

Unable to watch her friend's struggle for any longer, the worried inkling quickly made up her mind. “Here...” Pearl leaned in to wrap an arm around Marina's shoulder to pull her in against her chest. With her other hand, she gently held the bottle to Marina's lips to help guide the water into her mouth. Her friend gulped at it gratefully, teal eyes fluttering closed as the cool liquid soothed her parched throat. Her swarthy hand eventually fell from the bottle and into her lap once she realized that Pearl was going to continue to hold it for her.

 

The inkling's heart ached with profound understanding at noticing the seemingly small gesture. With a sorrowful expression, Pearl's pale fingers wrapped just the slightest bit tighter around her injured friend.

 

Marina must have really trusted her in order for to show this much outward vulnerability and blatant weakness.

 

Within mere moments, the octoling made quick work of the water, gasping in relief after she finished off the last drop from the bottle. Unknowingly, Marina rested a good portion of her body weight against a rather surprised Pearl. She took a few deep breaths, her breathing already sounding a bit better.

 

 _Damn, did she need that._ “...Feel any better?” Pearl asked quietly, her thumb subconsciously rubbing across Marina's clothed arm. The octoling didn't reply and instead, remained static in her hold, mouth parted as she continued to slowly breath in and out.

 

Pearl frowned, her eyebrows furrowing in deep thought. _She seems less responsive than what she was last night…_ Her troubled eyes trailed across the bed before falling on the now empty bottle of water. Pearl then suddenly had to fight the urge to smack herself across the face.

 

If Marina was _that_ dehydrated, she was probably _famished_. No one can operate well on an empty stomach.

 

Keeping a hold of the exhausted girl leaning against her, Pearl turned her body and reached for the plate of food she had brought in with her earlier. Thankfully, it was still steamy, indicating that it was still hot. Carefully, Pearl placed the plate on the bed beside Marina and grabbed a hold of the warm, cheesy sandwich. She slowly pulled the plump bread apart, causing the cheese to stretch and ooze out in all it's golden, gooey goodness.

 

“Here, have some of this,” Pearl offered, holding up the food to Marina's mouth. However, the octoling curled her lips inward and turned her face away, seemingly trying to hide behind Pearl's shoulder.

 

“C'mon, Marina,” Pearl coaxed quietly, maneuvering her shoulder so that the younger girl's cheek was resting against her chest once more. “I know you feel awful, but you gotta eat something. It'll help you feel better.” She brought the warm bread to the dark plum lips once more, but Marina still refused to open her mouth, her teal eyes clouding with what appeared to be guilt.

 

“...Not h-hungry.” Marina mumbled weakly. She froze, grimacing as her stomach growled loudly at that exact moment.

 

Pearl gave her a small, amused smile and poked teasingly at her shoulder. “It seems like your friend there begs to differ.” Marina's face flushed the slightest bit as she glanced down to twiddle with the yellow sleeves of the hoodie she was borrowing.

 

The inkling laughed inwardly to herself. That was the most reaction she had gotten out of Marina in a while, and if it meant she needed to be more light-hearted to get similar results, she was more than willing to do that.

 

Because _man_ was the somber atmosphere really beginning to suffocate both of the girls.

 

“I promise it tastes amazing,” Pearl continued, “ _Especially_ when you dip the grilled cheese into the tomato soup.” She demonstrated that to Marina, dipping a corner of the sandwich into the red soup before carefully bringing it back up to her friend’s mouth for a third time, making sure that nothing dripped down onto the blankets. After a few quiet moments of contemplation, Marina finally compiled and took a tiny bite of the food. She chewed on it carefully before soon taking a larger, more sufficient bite.

 

“There you go,” Pearl's soft smile grew just the slightest bit. “See? I’ve been told that I make the meanest grilled cheese and tomato soup around town. I should totally sign up for a season of _Shell's Kitchen_ , although… this is like, literally the only thing I can cook, so maaaaaybe not, aheh…”

 

Pearl felt her heart lurch back up to her throat as she watched Marina's lips twitched upwards into the faintest of smiles, her teal eyes shining with inaudible laughter as she quietly chewed on another bite.

 

Pearl realized it had been too damn long since she last saw that incredible smile, no matter how small it was. That was the award-winning smile that belonged to the Marina she knew, and she didn't realize how much she had truly missed it until that moment. Even though the octoling had her relapses here and there over the span of their friendship, overall, Marina was a vibrant and expressive girl who's personality clashed, in a good way, alongside Pearl's. She was reserved and elegant, thoughtful yet, curious, but Pearl knew that Marina was more than capable of holding her own, both physically and verbally.

 

One of Pearl's favorite things about their relationship was how much they playfully bantered with each other. Pearl was shocked yet, delighted when she first learned that Marina was a snarky little thing, when she wanted to be. Their “fights” were never taken seriously, which Pearl was more than grateful for because no one else got her sense of sarcasm like Marina did.

 

This was why it pained Pearl to see Marina so far away from the girl she had grown to know. They were so different from each other in literally every physical and non-physical way and yet, somehow…

 

Pearl had never before felt so connected to anyone in her life. Apart of her was _missing_ , and she couldn't stand it.

 

“Uhm… hey,  Pearl?” Marina's quiet voice broke into the inkling's thoughts. “Can I, uhm… have some more?”

 

Pearl blinked in confusion before realizing that her hand was suddenly empty and devoid of any cheesy bread. Shaking her head with a small smile, she reached out and grabbed the other half of the sandwich and dipped it into the soup.

 

“Of course.”

 

The room had fallen into comfortable silence as bite by bite, Pearl fed Marina the rest of her food. The inkling felt a shiver run down her spine as she continued to care for her friend in these increasingly domestic scenarios. Was it weird, to do all of these things for a friend because in all honesty… Pearl found it oddly therapeutic and comforting to hold Marina like this, something she wasn't allowed to get even close to doing just the morning before. Although it would be more of a struggle on her own, Marina was capable of feeding herself, but she allowed herself to relax so she could be taken care of.

 

She allowed herself to truly trust Pearl.

 

With a sad thought, Pearl briefly wondered when was the last time someone took the time to genuinely care for Marina.

 

_Well, she's got me now, at least. I’ll help her out for as long as she wants me to._

 

The sky outside had reached twilight, casting the space in a mixture of faint, dissipating oranges and gentle, rising violets. As Marina finished off the meal, Pearl noted with relief that the color had slowly returned to her face and that her eyes grew with vibrancy as they lost a significant amount of their previous haziness.

 

However, no matter how much better Marina was doing now, by the way her eyebrows were still furrowed together, it was clear to see that she was still in pain from her injury. Pearl could help alleviate some of that pain but unfortunately, only time could heal a wound as great as Marina's.

 

“How are you feeling now?” Pearl asked quietly, picking up the now empty bowl and plate and placing it back on the nightstand.

 

Marina gave a small sigh, her words still coming out shallow. “A... lot better.” She grimaced at bit, a hand habitually moving down to her side. “But it still… hurts really bad.”

 

“Can I… Can I take a look?” Pearl asked carefully. She felt Marina tense in her hold, her teal eyes flickering with uncertainty as she glanced away. “Hey…” The inkling tapped the side of her friend’s shoulder, drawing her attention back. “Remember what we said last night?”

 

Marina held her warm gaze, getting lost in those familiar, golden eyes for a brief moment. They were so soft, _impossibly_ soft, that no matter which angle you looked at them from, there was no denying the truth. Pearl had always wore her emotions in her eyes, displaying that her intentions were nothing but genuine and caring, mixed with a bit of concern.

 

Upon this realization, Marina’s expression relaxed once more, a small, saddened smile gracing across her features.

 

“We can be painfully uncomfortable, together,” She quoted, verbatim.

 

Pearl gave her a knowing smile of her own and nodded. She unwrapped her arm from Marina's back and shoulder, leaving her to be propped up solely by the thick pillows around them. “It'll just be a quick peek; we’ll probably need to redress it, but I don't want to risk over-working your body right now, so we'll do that tomorrow. For now, I just want to make sure that it hasn't reopened or anything.”

 

Taking a deep breath and ignoring the pulsating heat in her back, Pearl moved her hands to the hem of her own shirt, intending to take it off but she suddenly stopped herself, glancing down to Marina, almost expectantly.

 

The octoling shifted nervously in her gaze, “W... What?”

 

“Well…” Pearl shrugged her shoulders, her eyes darting to the side for a brief moment. “W-Whatever you have to go through, I have to as well.” Marina looked at her with genuine confusion, unsure of what she was getting at. She then watched silently as Pearl tucked both of her arms into her shirt and lowered her head just the slightest bit, and then suddenly, it clicked for Marina.

 

“Pearl…” The octoling murmured, her eyebrows furrowing with worry. “You don't… You don't have to…”

 

The smaller girl gave a soft sigh, shaking her head back and forth. “Yes, I do. It's only fair.” She leaned down a bit more, giving a tiny laugh. “Please, my neck is about to break at this angle, aheh...”

 

Marina stared at her in disbelief before settling with a faint smile of her own. Carefully, she raised her shaky hand up and wrapped her fingers in between the collar at the back of Pearl's neck. She gently pulled at the material, bringing it over Pearl's head and away from her body. The inkling subconsciously raised a hand to an opposite shoulder to cover herself, the tips of her ears burning with embarrassment. This wasn't any easier or comfortable for her as it was for Marina. Pearl had to take a moment to close her eyes in the attempt to calm her running nerves as the chilly air brushed across her bare shoulders and chest, causing her to shiver anxiously.

 

_Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't-_

 

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a warm touch take hold of her forearm. Opening her eyes, she saw that Marina had politely turned her head away, respecting Pearl's body and upholding the promise that they had made to each other last night. The inkling watched silently as Marina swallowed nervously before raising her hands up to her chest.

 

“Please be careful…” Marina murmured, not making eye contact. “It's a lot more... sensitive today for whatever reason…”

 

Pearl nodded in understanding, leaning down to take the hem of the hoodie within gentle fingers.

 

“You've got it.”

 

She felt Marina involuntarily flinch, her toned abdomen tensing when the pale hands slipped underneath the fuzzy material. They searched cautiously for Marina's elbows before drawing them in through the sleeves to gather in the center of the hoodie. Pearl bit her lip as the ink flowing down her back seemed to run ice-cold from being exposed. Blinking rapidly to clear her mind, the inkling focused all of her attention to the girl below her. She pulled the loose hoodie up and let it pool around Marina's neck like a scarf, the octoling moving her arm to cover herself as she did so.

 

Refusing to look anywhere but at the objective, Pearl placed a careful hand to the bandage adorning her friend’s upper body, inspecting the area. Due to the depth of the wound, Pearl was more than certain that it was going to leave a rather gnarly scar once it was fully healed and given its' awkward placement, she had to wrap the bandage several times around the circumference of Marina's torso, right under her breasts before looping it a few times over her shoulder so that it wouldn't be tempted to move out of place. Golden eyes continued to scan all across the white material, noting that it was indeed still white and not green, indicating that the gash had not reopened.

 

_Thank cod._

 

“Looks like everything is okay,” Pearl sighed in relief as she began to guide Marina's arms back into the sleeves of the hoodie. “I think it hurts more than yesterday because it's in the first stages of repairing cells, or some shit like that...? I don't know, I didn't really care for biology in grade school.” Pearl knew that she was doing needless rambling at this point, but it was the only way she could keep her mind off of her own insecurities.

 

Because as soon as her shirt came off, the all too familiar sharp strings of pain began to shoot up her back like clockwork. Not to mention that her upper womanhood, or lack thereof, was out in the unforgiving, cold air. Even though Pearl knew without a doubt that Marina wouldn't look, she still couldn't help but feel… ashamed and self-conscious.

 

Once the fluffy top had covered Marina once more, Pearl gently patted her stomach with the palm of her hand, signifying that they were finished. “You're all good to go."

 

Marina didn't meet her gaze, her head still turned away and eyes locked on nothing in particular.

 

“Marina,” Pearl began, her ears drooping downward in discomfort. “I'm not… I don't have a disease or anything contagious. You can look at me, or at the very least… p-put my shirt back on.”

 

That seemed to snap Marina out of her stupor, knowing that she had to give back to Pearl what the inkling gave to her. Pearl had taken off her shirt and put it back on, and now it was her turn to do the same.

 

They were in this mess, together.

 

With a bit of hesitance, the octoling turned back to her friend's direction and slowly picked up the simple t-shirt within delicate fingertips. Pearl remained silent, lowering her head once more so Marina could reach her easier. Only able to use the arm that wasn't on the side afflicted of her wound, the younger girl carefully pulled the shirt over Pearl's head. The inkling shivered when she felt Marina's soft hand unintentionally brush against one of the ears poking out from in between her short tentacles. Embarrassed, Pearl hastily reached up and ruffled her hair back into place, sending the damned expressive things back behind their curtains.

 

Knowing that it would be difficult for Marina to do the rest with one hand, Pearl took the liberty to pull her arms through the sleeves of her shirt and to drag the remaining distance down her torso. She sighed with aching relief once she was covered back up.

 

If this is how things had to go every time Pearl needed to check on Marina's injury… it was going to continue to be a rough time for the both of them.

 

“Well…  I-I guess I'll let you go back to resting now,” Pearl muttered awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck with a hand. With shaky limbs, she began to shuffle her way off of the bed to give Marina her space.

 

“...P-Pearl...”

 

At the tone of her name, a voice so quiet yet, so strained, Pearl halted just as one of her feet touched the carpet on the floor. Cautiously, she turned back over her shoulder and immediately felt her expression fall with worry.

 

Marina was looking back to her, her teal eyes misty as silent tears trickled down her face, dampening the plush pillows below her.

 

“Marina?” Pearl prompted quietly, quickly crawling her way back onto the bed. “...What's wrong?”

 

The octoling quickly wiped her watery eyes with the back of her hand. “I-I'm sorry...” She whispered, her despondent hands falling to the blanket covering her legs.

 

“... Sorry…? _”_ Pearl blinked at her, eyebrows furrowing into a concerned frown as she searched her friend's eyes for answers. “What… what for?”

 

“ _Everything…_ ” Marina sniffed and glanced downward, her fingers twiddling with each other over the long, yellow sleeves of the otherwise pink hoodie. “It's just…” Her shoulders sagged in a way that was just so unlike the girl Pearl had grown to know.

 

“You've… helped me so much…” She continued after a long stretch of dense silence. “Ever since we've met, you've been there for me, when no one else was. You've… h-had my back this entire time, been a friend to me when no one else would, and all I've done was snap at you, question you and treat you like a…” She didn't finish her train of thought as more tears threatened to spill over her eyelids.

 

Pearl blinked at her sullenly, momentarily at a loss for words as her friend continued on.

 

“I've always wanted to _talk_ to you, Pearl.” Marina blurted pitifully. “You're owed an explanation for my terrible behavior, but I'm just... I don't even know h-how to bring it up because it's just… it makes me feel like such a...” Her voice dwindled down to nothing when she felt a comforting touch rest against her blanketed knee.

 

Pearl's golden eyes blazed with both the comfort and intensity of a well-kindled fire as she remembered the conversation she had with her father earlier. “You don't owe me a single thing, Marina.” She assured, gently squeezing the vague outline of the covered knee. “I… Whatever you're holding in your heart is yours to keep on lock-down. Just know that whatever the case may be… you're safe here, and you are welcome to stay for as long as you need. And if you ever want to talk to me about… _anything_ , I'm all ears.” She felt one of them flick underneath her bobbed tentacles.

 

 _Literally,_ she thought, annoyed at the overly-expressive things.

 

Marina's face softened with a sad, knowing gaze, her vibrant, teal eyes swirling with gratefulness. Pearl's eyes widened with concern as Marina suddenly braced her forearms against the mattress, her forehead dotting with effort as she attempted to push herself up. Several, short puffs of air escaped through gritted teeth as a single teal eye squinted against the pain.

 

“Reena? What are you-”

 

Pearl's words were cut off as a pair of arms suddenly wrapped themselves around her neck. The inkling was pulled into an unexpected hug that only seemed to grow tighter as the seconds went on. She quickly became surrounded by warmth and softness, the fluffy hoodie practically engulfing the both of them. She felt something wet drip down her neck as Marina continued to hold her in a vice-like grip.

 

“Thank you... _so_ much…” Marina whispered, her voice hitching with emotion as she snuggled her head against the short, pink tentacles.

 

For a few moments, Pearl sat rigid, her mouth going dry as it hung slightly ajar. Her eyebrows soon furrowed together in deep thought before she quickly wrapped her arms around the younger girl, remembering to be mindful of her wound. Her eyelids squeezed together as she returned the embrace, her heart damn near overflowing with a various slew of emotions that she couldn't even identify.

 

“Anytime.”

 

The pair held one another for several tender moments, finding comfort and security within each others arms. Due to their height difference, even while sitting down, Pearl's face ended up being buried in the crook of Marina's neck. She burrowed her head down a bit further, taking solace against her friend's warm skin. Releasing a deep sigh, Pearl's mind went numb to everything else around her, except for the girl within her arms.

 

For the first time in years, she didn't care about the scars on her back.

 

She didn't care about her underdeveloped chest.

 

She didn't care about her overly-expressive ears.

 

The only thing she cared about in that moment was Marina.

 

“Y'know…” Marina began quietly, being the first one to break the comforting silence. “There is one thing that I've always wanted to tell you…”

 

“Y-Yeah?” Pearl felt the tip of her ears warm in temperature, and she really wasn't sure why. She pulled away to meet Marina's face, although still opting to keep an arm loosely around her waist. “And... w-what's that?”

 

Marina removed her arms from Pearl's neck and glanced down with a small, coy smirk adorning her features.

 

“You always sing the ‘E’ note extremely sharp, and it kinda drives me insane.”

 

Pearl stared at her, speechless for a few moments before she finally recollected her wits with an unimpressed snort. “Well, excuuuuuse me.” She muttered crossly. “ _Some_ of us weren't born with the voice of an absolute goddess.”

 

Oh.

 

_Well, shit... Was that a weird thing to say? That was totally a weird thing to say, wasn't it..._

 

The two girls stared at each other, both dumbfounded before the octoling's cheeks slowly dusted over with a light blush. She then gave the tiniest of laughs, making Pearl heart skip several beats that her friend without a doubt must have felt.

 

“Fair enough,” Marina said eventually, her teal eyes brighter than they had been all day. “But, maybe that's why you should just stick to rapping, and, uhh… that cool cahoon thing.”

 

Pearl scoffed and rolled her eyes as her own cheeks warmed in color. “Firstly, I think my singing is just fine… if I have a warm-up. Secondly, 'cajon' is pronounced _cah-hone_ , not whatever you just said, ya dork.”

 

“Oh, whatever,” Marina huffed, shrugging her shoulders. “Can’t help the accent.”

 

Pearl's eyebrows raised in interest. “Speaking of which… Last night when we were, uhm… fixing you up, you had said some things in your language.” She leaned forward slightly, her eyes glinting with an impish gleam. “Don’t tell me that the sweet, innocent Marina was using foul language?” She placed a hand to her chest and dramatically fanned herself with her other. “Oh, heavens! What has the world come to?!”

 

Marina gave Pearl a deadpan look before rolling her eyes and murmuring, “ _Kuroni’waju mi,_ Pearl.”

 

Pearl blinked at her, puzzled. _What?_ _I don't know what that-_

 

Wait a minute…

 

Pearl lifted a finger and pointed at her friend as she slowly began to understand what she didn't understand. “Did you just… Did you just _cuss me out_ in Octarian?!”

 

Marina gave Pearl a childish pout, her teal eyes wide with faux innocence. “What, lil’ old me? Oh, I would _never_.”

 

“Alright, I see how it is.” Pearl grumbled under her breath. “I never knew you were such a potty mouth.”

 

Marina raised an incredulous eyebrow. “Oh, you are so _not_ one to talk, Miss Profanity.”

 

Pearl huffed indignantly and crossed her arms. “I don't know what the fuck you're talkin’ about.”

 

The two girls glared at each other for several heartbeats before they both snickered under their breaths. The moment was just too ridiculous, too obnoxious, too… _them_. Their quiet giggles soon evolved into laughter, filling the room with color and warmth.

 

Pearl was so happy at that moment that she honestly could have cried both tears of joy and sadness.

 

It had been far too long since she had shared a smile like this with her friend.

 

Unfortunately, Marina's light-hearted expression abruptly dissolved as her laughter triggered another coughing fit to wrack throughout her body. Sadly, no amount of happiness could take away the harsh pain that Marina felt on her side, drawing her back into the unwanted truths of reality. Dismayed, Pearl quickly moved in, her hands going down to cradle Marina's quivering body against her chest once more, hoping to take away all of her pain because Marina didn't deserve any of this; _they_ didn't deserve any of this.

 

“P-Pearl-” Marina weakly spluttered out after the fit, her strained voice involuntarily clipping her syllables. “It-it huhh-hurts… my… I-I can’t-an’t...”

 

“Shh…” Pearl shushed gently, holding Marina close and encouraging her friend to lean against her body. “I've got you.” Marina accepted the comforting gesture, her eyes fluttering closed as she slumped all the way against Pearl's chest. Pearl let her fingers trail down Marina's clothed arm with a angelic touch, listening to Marina's rough breathing eventually soften and even out, signaling that she had fallen asleep. The inkling watched, intrigued as Marina's teal tentacles slowed their movement until they came to a stop.

 

_Ah, so they stop moving when she's asleep..._

 

As carefully as she could, Pearl lowered her friend down onto her back. She gently tucked the octoling within the sheets, gazing down at her with a forlorn expression. _Good night._ She tenderly grazed the knuckle of her index finger down Marina's cheek before pulling away abruptly, ashamed of her lack of self control.

 

_What is wrong with me?_

 

Blinking to clear her mind, the small inkling reached over to grab the empty dishes on the nightstand before standing to full height. As she began to make her way to the door, one thought kept on repeating itself over and over again in her mind.

 

_Do I like Marina?_

 

Pearl's ears twitched with uncertainty as she pulled the door from behind her, leaving it only partially cracked. She padded back into the living room, her eyebrows furrowing with thought as she milled over the simple question.

 

Marina was Pearl's friend, the peanut butter to their jam-session sandwhich, her Partner in Rhyme. Additionally, due to recent events, Pearl was also unofficially her caretaker.  She couldn't be Marina's lover and still properly be her caretaker… could she? Wouldn't that be… wrong? The last thing Pearl wanted to do was let her heart run loose and unintentionally take advantage of the situation.

 

 _Marina needs me,_ Pearl concluded with a sigh. _Anything I may feel for her has to be ignored for the time being until she feels better._

 

Pearl just hoped to cod that she had a good enough handle on her emotions to stay true to her word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BOI. This chapter is like, 2 weeks behind schedule but I hope I made up for it in chapter length. It was a long journey with many unsuspected writer's blocks but I really liked writing this chapter, it's near and dear to my heart so I'd love to hear your thoughts on it as well!
> 
> Anyways, if you want to stay up to date with the story and get some juicy extras on the side, here's my shameless plug my twitter one more time: @CJ_WalkerFics. Some of you have drawn some awesome fan art and I retweet all that stuff over there as well!
> 
> Anyways (2), thanks for reading!


	7. Taking Baby Steps

* * *

The orange-red rays of evening sunshine cast into the living space of a small apartment. Inside were two girls, one inkling and the other octoling, sitting in the living room, wrapping up some terribly scripted squit-com.

 

Marina stared at the TV screen, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she popped another piece of sweet kettle corn into her mouth. Her free hand fiddled with the collar of her simple black t-shirt as her teal eyes followed the endless stream of scrolling names.

 

“I don't understand how inklings find this… _entertaining_.”

 

Pearl blew a unimpressed raspberry, her back slumped against the plump couch with her legs straight out in front of her. “I mean… most stuff on TV is already junk, but that… that was a new kind of terrible. Even for me.” Pearl grabbed a handful of salty popcorn from her own bowl and angrily shoved it into her mouth.

 

With a dramatic stretch, she sat up from the couch with her hands raised high above her head. “Welp! Those are two and a half hours we'll never get back.”

 

Marina laughed quietly, shaking her head from side to side. “My question is, why did we sit here and _willingly_ continue to watch it?”

 

The small inkling gave her a toothy grin. “Honestly. I think it was one of those scenarios where it was so bad that it was good?”

 

Marina gave her a sarcastic look. “Speak for yourself!” The two girls laughed as the continued to banter with each other about how "terribly good” the show was.

 

It had been a few days since Marina begun to stay with Pearl and the two had quickly gotten comfortable with each other. Due to her injury, Marina was still rendered immobile for the most part, but everyday, she was getting stronger, bit by bit.

 

When the moon had begun to peek its’ way onto the horizon, both girls new it was time to start their long regime if they were to both get to sleep within a reasonable amount of time. It was a rather lengthy process that had to be handled with care and caution.

 

“You’re record from this morning was seven steps,” Pearl piped up, returning from the kitchen after dropping off their empty bowls and cups into the sink to be washed later. “I bet’cha you can do eight tonight.” She stood and faced Marina, who was still sitting on the couch, with her hands outstretched. Giving a determined breath, the octoling nodded her head and placed her palms on top of Pearl's. Pale thumbs gripped gently at the top of the swarthy hands as Pearl planted her feet firmly against the wooden floor.

 

Golden eyes met teal as they gave each other synchronized nods.

 

“You ready?” Pearl asked.

 

Marina gave another brisk nod. “Mn.”

 

“One...”

 

“Two...”

 

“Three!” They both said in unison.

 

Marina’s legs wobbled involuntarily as she was pulled to her feet. She gave a small hiss of pain, but focused all of her attention on not falling over. Pearl nodded her head in encouragement, before carefully taking a step backwards. The octoling mimicked her, taking a step forward although her legs were a lot more unstable and unsure. The wound on her side, although healing slowly but surely, was still raw, making walking a difficult and painful task for Marina. Still, the pair refused to give up, practicing everyday, sometimes more than once. They had settled nicely into a routine to help the octoling strengthen her body so she could literally, get back on her feet.

 

“Four…” Pearl continued counting, her ears perked and nerves alert in the event that Marina were to stumble. “Five… Six…” On the seventh step, Marina’s legs buckled, causing her to stagger to the side but Pearl was there to catch her before she fell.

 

“Cod d…” Marina panted against Pearl’s shoulder, gripping her larger hands into the fabric of her friend’s shirt for stability. She was more than dissatisfied with her lack of substantial progress.

 

The inkling grunted with effort as she carefully guided them over to the adjacent black rolling chair they used to help Marina get around. Making sure that it was pressed securely against the couch, Pearl lowered the octoling down into the seat.

 

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up.” Pearl murmured as she got her friend situated. “I know it’s probably frustrating, but you gotta give your body time to heal and all that junk.”

 

“I know, I know, but it’s just…” Marina sighed as she threw her head back against the chair, her hand habitually going up to cradle her side. “I’m not… I _hate_ not being able to do anything on my own. I’ve never felt this... weak before, and I can’t stand it. _Man_ , what I would give to just go on a run right now...”

 

Pearl hummed in understanding, knowing that she’d probably feel the same way if she was in Marina’s shoes.  “I get'cha, but hey,” She started, leaning down to the octoling’s height as she propped her hands up against her knees with a coy grin. “At least you have someone as _awesome_ as me to help you out every step of the way, yeah?” Marina watched, straight-faced as Pearl waggled her eyebrows in a rather ridiculous manner.

 

“Heh, I guess so...” She murmured through a half-hearted laugh, glancing away from Pearl. The inkling frowned as she noticed that her friend’s expression was still crestfallen, her unique teal eyes lacking in their usual brilliance. Typically, the octoling would have responded with a snarky remark of some sort, but it appeared that she was still troubled by her lack of independence and progress. Her apathetic state about her body's condition was diminishing with each passing day, but it was still concerning regardless.

 

 _I hate seeing her so down as of late…_ Pearl thought, dismayed. _I’ve got to find a way to cheer her up, and janky TV shows aren't the way to do it..._

 

Unsure of what to say, the smaller girl walked around to the back of the rolling chair. She began to push Marina towards her room so they could get her settled for the night, but she soon stopped walking as a thought crossed over her mind.

 

 _Perhaps maybe I could…_ Pearl felt a sinister smirk creep upon her lips. _Yessss._

 

Confused as to why they stopped moving, Marina glanced back over her shoulder. “Pearl?” Her eyebrows bunched together when she saw the impish glint within the inkling’s golden eyes.

 

“Hey, Reena…” Pearl began nonchalantly, rolling the chair in the complete opposite direction of the bedroom. “Do you like racing?”

 

The octoling blinked at the random question. “Uhhh… What?”

 

“Do you like to race?” Pearl repeated, pushing them into the kitchen.

 

“Uhm, well…” Still confused, Marina curled a finger under her chin in thought. “I guess so...? I used to ride motorcycles in my free time, back before I got promoted to-”

 

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,” Pearl interrupted with a loud, booming voice, her small chest puffed out. “Squids, jellies, and all cephalopods alike! Welcome to tonight's grand championships!”

 

More perplexed than ever, the octoling turned her head over the edge of the chair to glance back at her friend.

 

“Pearl? Who are you talking t-”

 

“TONIGHT,” Marina reeled back in her chair, startled as she was interrupted once more. Pearl walked out from behind the chair, her chest still puffed out like an emperor penguin. She reached into an adjacent kitchen drawer and pulled out a spatula before holding it near her chin like a microphone. “We are in for quite the race! Witness the underdog and crowd favorite, Marina… Marina…?”

 

Pearl pulled the spatula away from her face and covered one side of her mouth with a hand. “Pssst, what's your last name?” She whispered hastily.

 

Marina's face couldn't get anymore confused even if she tried.

 

“...I-Ida…” She answered with hesitance. “But… why do you need-”

 

“WITNESS,” Pearl beamed, returning to her mock commentator’s voice. She faced away from her friend, speaking out into the living room. “Newcomer, Marina Ida challenge the veterans of this fine sport, and race for the trophy of the Golden Squid, and for the glory of victory and fame!”

 

Pearl quickly turned back to Marina with a wide, toothy grin upon her features. “Now, Miss Ida. Is there anything you'd like to say before you take the track?” She pointed the spatula down to Marina's lips.

 

The octoling stared blankly at the black object, before gently pushing it to the side. “Pearl… who… what are you doing?”

 

The inkling groaned dramatically, throwing her neck back to her shoulders before quickly standing straight again. “Oh-! Looks like we need a word from our sponsors. We will be right back, folks!” Reverting back to her normal voice, Pearl crossed her arms over her chest and pouted.

 

“You're really killin’ the set-up here, Reena.” She grumbled. “Haven't you ever messed around and used your imagination before?”

 

One of Marina's eyes squinted as her eyebrows furrowed together. “My... _what?”_

 

Pearl's jaw dropped in shock. “You've never just… pretended to do anything before?” Marina shook her head. “Like, _ever?”_ Marina shook her head once more. Pearl placed her hands on her hips and blew a puff of air out in disbelief. “Man, what the hell did they teach you in Octo Gorge…”

 

“Octo _Valley_ ,” Marina corrected with a frown. “And no, we didn't… uhh, do that. If we needed something done, we'd go out and, you know, _actually_ do it.”

 

“Laaame,” Pearl muttered, rolling her eyes. With a determined sigh, she leaned down and braced her hands against the armrests of the chair. “Well, you're in Inkopolis now, so time to get with the program!”

 

Marina felt her face tingle with heat and the close proximity. “Uhh… so what exactly does that m-”

 

“Close your eyes.”

 

The octoling flinched in her chair. “What?”

 

Pearl gave an impatient chuff before taking a deep breath to allow her eyes to soften. “Just trust me on this one, Reena.”

 

Marina raised an incredulous eyebrow, her teal eyes glinting with mischief. “Oh, like how you told me to trust you with yesterday's dinner?”

 

Pearl's face flushed with embarrassment as she recalled the events from the previous evening. Determined to get better at cooking, especially now that she had a house guest, Pearl had decided that she wanted to prepare a meal for her and Marina. What was supposed to be a nice, elegant serving of homemade lasagna ended up being a sloppy, burnt around the edges, bubbling cheesy volcanic eruption of a science experiment gone _terribly_ wrong.

 

Pearl ended up throwing the entire pan into the trash and ordered pizza instead.

 

“That was… _d-different_...” The inkling grumbled sheepishly, glancing away for a brief moment. “But c'mon! You can trust me on _this_ one!”

 

A small laugh escaped through Marina's lips as she shook her head from side to side.

 

“You already know that I trust you, Pearl.” She murmured quietly, giving her friend a gentle smile.

 

Pearl felt the tips of her ears tingle with heat.

 

_O-Oh..._

 

Now _that_ was a look that Marina hadn’t ever given to her before. Their eyes locked together for a brief moment, the atmosphere around them falling so quiet that Pearl was more than certain that Marina could hear her heart hammering loudly in her chest. She soon fumbled underneath the octoling's lingering gaze, her face rising in temperature.

 

Well, that, hm...

 

That was a rather… endearing encounter.

 

With a tiny giggle, Marina sat up with a bit more posture before willingly letting her eyelids fall. “Alright, so my eyes are closed. Now what?”

 

“Huh…?” Pearl quickly shook her head to recollect her thoughts. “Oh, uhh, right!” She leaned back in against the armrests, taking a quiet breath.

 

“Okay, so you're about to start racing, yeah? What do you see?”

 

Marina squeezed her eyes shut tighter in concentration. “Black.” She stated flatly.

 

Pearl rolled her eyes with a sigh. “No… you have to _imagine_ what you see, Marina. Not what you _actually_ see. Here, picture this…”

 

“You're at the starting line, towards the back,” Pearl began softly, “And all around you are bright, flashing neon lights. The crowd is going crazy, on their feet and cheering and screaming wildly. Some of them even have cowbells and mega horns, making sure that they are heard. The official is at the top of the podium, his checked flag at the ready, waiting until the announcer gives him the a-okay.”

 

Pearl watched with a small smile as Marina face slowly began to soften and relax. _Jackpot._

 

“The air held the tang of burnt rubber from a previous race earlier that day, but you loved that smell. It was a game day smell. You took a deep inhale,” Pearl drew in a long breath, which Marina unknowingly mimicked. “and let it out slowly, calming your nerves. This was your big day. The odds were stacked against you, but you are _determined_ to win.”

 

“Just as you began to take in your surroundings, you heard a sharp snort come from the racer beside you. Turning your head, you come face to face with…” Pearl paused for a brief minute, momentarily breaking the scene. “Give me a dude's name, Reena.”

 

Marina fumbled in the chair, her eyes still closed. “Uhhh… Tim…?”

 

Pearl snorted. “Tim? Pfft, why you'd choose such a dorky name?”

 

The octoling gave a sheepish smile. “I-It was the first name I thought of… I'm new to this, okay?”

 

Pearl laughed quietly, “Tim it is, then.”

 

She returned to the story. “You turn your head to see your rival, Tim. He gives you a mock thumbs up, taunting you by saying ‘I've done it! That trophy is mine!’. He then throws his head back with that obnoxious, stupid ass, arrogant ass laugh of his.” Pearl leaned in close to Marina's ear, her voice lowering. “Are you just gonna let him disrespect you like that?”

 

The octoling's eyebrows furrowed together as she gave a disdainful chuff. “Of course not, who do you think I am? I'm going to  _splat_ Tim on the track!”

 

Pearl's smirk widened, delighted that Marina was really starting to get into it. “Good. Even though you'd like nothing more to do than slap him across his ugly face, you chose to ignore Tim because you know your bike will do the talking on the track. You like to stay classy and composed, not giving Tim the satisfaction of working a reaction out of you. Instead, you look up and notice that the starting man has raised his hand to gather the attention off all the racers. Knowing that it's just about game time, you lean forward on your motorcycle, which is…”

 

“A green and black Octo Cruiser, sports model 300-X.” Marina answered without a moment's hesitance. “Sleek, streamline design, custom installed turbo… Sturdy, practical, _elegant…_ ”

 

Pearl blinked, briefly taken aback by Marina's detailed description. “Ah, yes. Your treasured companion. You both have ridden miles and miles with one another. With your eyes fixed on the official, your gloved hands go up to grip at the handlebars.” Pearl reached down and gently guided Marina's hands to the armrests, the octoling instinctively grasping onto them. “All of the other bikers begin to rev their engines, and of course, you join in on the excitement as well. The atmosphere is loud and blaring, but you hone in on just your motorcycle, your girl, because her voice is so different and unique from everything else.”

 

“Her engine is humming gently against you, telling you that's she's reared and ready to go. This is the moment you have been preparing for.” As Marina became completely engulfed in the scenario Pearl submerged them into, the inkling quietly began to shuffle behind the chair. “All eyes turn to the glowing neon screen above the starting line. There's a countdown beginning…”

 

“Three…” Pearl began.

 

“Two…” Marina joined in, eyes still closed. Her foot twitched, as if she was waiting to switch her bike into first gear.

 

“One…”

 

Pearl gave a sinister smirk.

 

“GO!” She yelled out, grabbing onto the chair as she suddenly began to run. Marina's eyes flew open with shock as she found herself flying across the smooth floor.

 

“P-P-PEARL!?” She screamed out, squeezing the life out of the armrests. “W-WHAT-?!?”

 

“C’mon, Reena!” Pearl beamed from behind the chair. “Get your head in the game, the race has started! Don't let Tim beat you!”

 

The pitter patter of bare feet hitting against wood filled the home as Pearl rolled the chair all throughout the small apartment. A terrified yet, joyous shriek escaped through Marina's lips as Pearl swerved them in and out of the living room and kitchen.

 

They did a few laps through the common area, keeping their made-up scenario alive and prospering. “This is the final stretch, folks!” Pearl giggled in her mock commentator’s voice. She gave a dramatic gasp as they whipped past one of the chairs in the kitchen. “What?! Unbelievable! Number 8, Marina Ida, has just taken the lead, passing up Tim!” Rolling out of the kitchen for the umpteenth time, the girls zipped through the living room towards the hallway that led to Pearl's bedroom. “Great Zapfish, this is history in the making! She's gonna do it!”

 

With another laugh, Marina held out a foot to kick open the door as Pearl burst them into the room. The inkling quickly dug her heels into the plush carpet to keep them from slamming into her bed.

 

She threw her hands up in excitement. “Rookie, Marina Ida, wins the Humpback Pumptrack Grand Prix! And the crowd goes wiiiiild!” Pearl cupped her hands around her mouth and gave the loudest whisper scream she could, trying her best to emulate the sound of a stadium crowd. She then grabbed the back of the chair and spun Marina round and round, the octoling giggling uncontrollably as she hung on for dear life.

 

 

“Number 8” soon managed to put her “vehicle” in park by letting her foot bump against the mattress, each tap slowing the spinning down until the chair came to a complete stop.

 

“Take that, Tim.” Marina laughed, blinking rapidly to try to get her eyes to see straight.

 

Pearl snorted along with her, placing her hands proudly to her hips. “You beat him so bad, dude decided to quit racing all together. Now he lives back in his mom's basement and makes memes or something in the dark corner of his room.”

 

The two girls laughed heartily as they continued to be ridiculous with each other. Pearl felt her spirits take flight, seeing Marina's face flushed as she laughed, care-free as a child at a carnival.

 

Pearl had succeeded at brightening Marina's mood; the octoling probably didn't even remember what she was so upset about earlier.

 

 _She deserves happiness..._ She thought with a small smile, _no telling the terrible things she's experienced in her past…_

 

That, of course, was a subject that neither of them talked about. _Ever._

 

Pearl had to withhold the urge to flinch when she felt that stupid, annoying ache momentarily return to her lower back.

 

She frowned, her mouth going dry.

 

 _Don't I deserve to be happy as well?_ She thought bitterly. _It_ sure _would be nice to do something without constantly being reminded of…_ you _._

 

“Pearl…?” Marina called out softly. The inkling jumped at the sound of her name, blinking her eyes rapidly to draw her focus back to reality.

 

The octoling looked at her with concern in her eyes. “You good? You kind of spaced out on me there.”

 

Pearl tried to shrug her shoulders as nonchalantly as possible. “Yeah, sorry. Just… thinkin’ about how lame Tim is, aheh...” Marina didn't looked convinced with that answer but to Pearl's relief, she didn't press the issue any further.

 

For they both knew they each had things that they didn't want to bring to light and discuss.

 

“A-Anyways…” Pearl began, rubbing nervously at the back of her neck. “You ready to get settled for the night with the routine?”

 

With a knowing sigh, Marina nodded slowly.

 

“Yeah, let's do it.”

 

Pearl nodded back, briskly walking over to her closet to pull out Marina's fluffy white bathrobe. She had bought that, along with a few other lounge clothes and undergarments for Marina. They pair had went online shopping, since the octoling couldn't do much walking yet but unfortunately, the majority of the clothes they had bought ended up being too big for her. Pearl figured anything was better than Marina wearing her tiny clothes, but the inkling was determined that as soon as Marina was well enough to walk on her own, shopping for an _entire_ new wardrobe for her, in person, was a _must_.

 

After all, thanks to her dad, she did have plenty of money to spare. She had already used some of it to start remodeling her old, dingy office space into a small yet, functional music studio. Soon, she and Marina would be able to jam out, practically non-stop until their hearts were content.

 

Returning to the octoling, Pearl set the robe on the bed next to her. Stooping down, she gently slipped her hands underneath Marina's shirt and pulled her elbows into her chest, taking them out of the sleeves, but not out of the shirt. Next, her fingers trailed along Marina's back to the octoling's bra before unclasping it with ease. After it was unhooked, Pearl withdrew her hands from underneath Marina's shirt, grabbed the fluffy bathrobe and placed it into her friend's lap with a small pat.

 

“I'm gonna go draw the water,” Pearl grinned, beckoning her head to the bathroom.  Marina gave her a small, bashful smile, her fingers poking out from underneath her simple tee to twiddle with the soft robe.

 

“Don’t drown.” She called playfully as Pearl began to walk to the connected bathroom.

 

Pearl snorted, glancing back to her friend before she disappeared behind the door frame. “As if!”

 

The bathroom was a surprisingly large space, given how small Pearl's apartment was. Her home had a stupid infrastructural layout, as the only restroom in the house was connected to the single bedroom, but Pearl figured it was better than nothing. Right at the entrance, there was a double vanity sink that was illuminated by a row of bright lights resting above a pristine mirror. The counter tops were granite; white speckled with hints of gray and amber while the floor was seamless, smooth tile.

 

There was a large bathroom closet, separate from the one in Pearl's bedroom that housed towels and more storage. There was also a stained glass, walk in shower separate from a deep, sunk in bathtub. Clearly, who ever lived here before Pearl had the place spruced up before they moved out.

 

 _Probably against our landlord’s approval_ , Pearl thought humorously.

 

As was built in habit, Pearl leaned down and closed the stopper to the tub and turned on the water. It soon came gushing through the faucet like it normally did, filling the bathroom with that certain… calming, bath water atmosphere.

 

“How many bath bombs do you want?” Pearl called over her shoulder as she began to open the fancy decorative bag of soaps.

 

“Uhh… Well, I mean, one is plenty,” Marina called back to her. “So please, no need to put so many in like yesterday, and the day before...”

 

Pearl froze, an ear flicked in amusement just after she dropped her fifth bomb into the tub. “Whoopsie…” Pearl chimed in a sing-song voice, throwing one more in for good measure. She heard a light-hearted groan come from the bedroom.

 

“Why bother asking me, if you'll just end up doing what you want?”

 

Pearl laughed, “Why do you still answer me, if you know I'm not gonna listen?”

 

There were a few quiet moments of silence before Marina replied with a quiet, “touché”.

 

Satisfied with taking the win of this match, Pearl smirked and turned her attention back to the tub. She watched with delight as the bath water started to turn a light, seafoam green, sparkling teal and white bubbles quickly starting to rise in height. While the tub was filling up, Pearl reached underneath her bathroom cabinet and pulled out her pair of Forge goggles, along with a handful of clean yet, discarded black socks. Grabbing a crown shaped hair tie-clip combo from a bowl on top the vanity, Pearl looked up to the mirror and began to tie her hair up into a ponytail. She pulled the goggles over her propped tentacles before leaving them to rest against her forehead.

 

“You good to go in there?” She called out once more, leaning down to turn off the flowing water.

 

“Yeah.”

 

Flicking some unwanted water from her fingers, Pearl began to make her way back into the room. Marina was still sitting in her chair, her shirt and bra removed and replaced with the knee-length bathrobe, although, she still had her gray sweats on underneath. Even though Marina still needed help, Pearl made sure that whatever the octoling could do independently, she gave Marina that freedom to do so.

 

Due to the wound, leaning down past her waist was still out of the question, and this is where Pearl came in to help her. Bending down, but never _looking_ down, the small inkling brought her hands to Marina's waist. With a gentle touch, she hooked her fingers against the hem of Marina's pants and underwear and began to slide them both off at the same time. The bathrobe insured that the octoling remained covered during the process.

 

“Bet'cha I'm gonna make it in this time,” Pearl piped up as she blindly guided her friend’s feet through each pant leg.

 

Marina snorted, giving her a skeptical look. She rested her elbow against the armrest and propped her head up with a closed fist. “Doubtful.”

 

Pearl pouted. “Oh, yeah? Well, watch… _this!”_ Crumpling the pants up into a tight ball, Pearl turned on her heels and threw the clothes at the laundry hamper across the room.

 

It hit the wall with a dense smack before falling pitifully to the ground. It wasn't even _marginally_ close to the clothes basket.

 

Pearl blinked a few times, her face frozen with a pained smile before she sheepishly turned her gaze back to her friend.

 

With a stoic expression, Marina raised a single, unimpressed eyebrow.

 

“The… wind… from the… c-ceiling fan threw off my shot…” Pearl grumbled under her breath, beginning to pull Marina in her chair to the restroom.

 

“Suuuuure.” Marina said, rolling her eyes in amusement.

 

When the pair reached the doorway into the bathroom, Pearl helped Marina to her feet and guided her to lean against the counter. No matter how useful the rolling chair was, it probably wasn't the best idea to bring it into a place where water could easily splash onto the floor. Pearl briefly dipped her hand into the water, making sure that it was the appropriate temperature. Once she confirmed that it wouldn't burn Marina's skin off, she began to roll up her sweats to her knees.

 

She soon walked back over to her friend, pale hands gripping the goggles resting against her forehead. “Ready?"

 

“Y-Yeah.” Marina panted, her legs beginning to wobble, despite leaning the majority of her weight against the vanity. “T-The sooner, the better.”

 

The inkling nodded back, noting that Marina was beginning to struggle. She quickly pulled the goggles down over her eyes. Reaching behind her, she grabbed the multiple pair of black socks from the counter and began to stuff them into the goggles, making her completely blind. She waited for a moment before an exposed ear twitched and honed in on the familiar sound of cloth gently falling to the bathroom floor. She soon felt Marina’s bare arms wrap firmly around her neck and in response, she grasped onto one of the swarthy hands against her shoulder while her other went to support her friend’s waist.

 

Although they had done this bath routine several times by now, a shiver still shot down Pearl’s spine, all the way to the tips of her toes at their close proximity. Without her sight, her vision was cast in complete darkness, leaving all of her other senses to sharpen with sensitivity.

 

Her sense of touch picked up on how soft and smooth Marina’s skin was, pressed close against hers. Then, you had the bandage that was wrapped around the octoling’s torso before looping over her lame arm’s shoulder. The material was also soft, yet, a bit scratchy. During their regime, the Pearl found it easiest to let Marina bathe with her bandage on. Afterwards, since it would be wet, it would be a lot easier to remove, clean the area separately, and then ultimately replace.

 

Her sense of taste would pick up on the indescribable… how would you say... “flavor” in the air, that only a hot bath or shower water seemed to bring. It was like walking outside after a night of rain and tasting the dew that still hung in the air. Pearl still wasn’t really sure how to describe it, but it was definitely something that she didn’t notice until she was stripped of her sight.

 

Her nose picked up on the smell of the kiwi-scented soap and bath bombs Marina loved to use. Pearl noted just how different it was from the usual vanilla scent that she personally used herself. The octoling had laughed a bit to herself when she discovered what soap her friend used. She explained that she had always envisioned Pearl using something that smelled like strawberry, to which the inkling still didn’t understand to this day as of why.

 

With a humorous muse, Pearl thought about how a kiwi represented Marina’s personality rather well. The green fruit was sweet, like Marina’s overall demeanor yet, it had a sharp, tropical tartness to it, much like the octoling’s playfully snide remarks.

 

With the same line of thinking, Pearl began to mull over the soap she used. She realized that vanilla was a very, very simple yet, pleasant taste. Actually…hmm. Vanilla extract alone tasted absolutely _horrific_ , however, if you were to have the time and patience to mix the extract with another flavor, it would cause it to become… sweet and delectable.

 

Pearl felt her cheeks tingle with heat.

 

Was that a reflection of her own personality?

 

 _Maybe I should switch to a jalapeño-scented soap instead_ , she thought jokingly.

 

Her sense of hearing pulled her out of her thoughts when they picked up on the small, stifled sounds of effort as Marina did her best to keep her hisses of discomfort down to a minimum. Despite the struggle, the octoling really was getting stronger and stronger with each passing day. Pearl thought back to the first time they did this routine, just a few days ago, and how much more difficult it was for Marina. Her ears also picked up on the tiny splashes the small waves of the water made as the pair stepped into the bathtub. The warm water rose up Pearl’s mid-calf as she maneuvered her body so that she was now directly in front of her friend. She could also feel the soft, fuzzy sensation of the bubbles rubbing against her fair skin.

 

“Here we go,” Pearl grunted underneath her breath, bracing herself to take all of Marina’s weight. She linked her small biceps underneath Marina’s underarms, pulling her into a supportive hug. Carefully, the inkling spread her toes out against the underwater, aptly themed, fish-shaped grip mats and slowly lowered herself into a squat, effectively pulling Marina down with her. Once Marina’s rear had reached the base of the bathtub, Pearl let go to reach down into the bubbly water and adjusted Marina’s legs so that they were straight out in front of her.

 

“This good?” Pearl asked, instinctively looking up, despite the fact that she literally couldn’t see anything.

 

She heard a sharp breath of air. “Y-Yeah, I’m good now. Although…” There was a faint giggle, followed by another small splash. “I can never understand why you insist on using so many bath bombs because there are bubbles, like, _everywhere_.”

 

Pearl snorted playfully as she began to blindly climb her way out of the tub. “In my book, the more bubbles, the better!” Actually, there _was_ a real reason why Pearl used so many bath bombs, a reason she’d never admit to Marina. In the event that she were to slip and bust herself, causing her goggles fly off her head or something, she didn’t want Marina to suddenly become exposed. Although the inkling never saw, she was more that certain the ridiculous amount of bombs she used would surely produce enough bubbles that would rise up to cover Marina’s chest. Wearing her sock filled goggles let Marina maintain her privacy, but the extra amount of bubbles provided a second layer of security.

 

Pearl flicked the water off of each foot in turn as she stepped out onto the plush bathroom rug. Turning back to her friend, she offered a small smile.

 

“I’ll be right outside, like usual. Just call out when you’ve done all you can.”

 

Despite being blind, Pearl could still perfectly imagine Marina glancing over to her with a gentle smile of her own.

 

“I will.”

 

With a final smile, the inkling turned and began to make her way for the bathroom door. Well... where she _thought_ the door was.

 

“Fuck!” Pearl exclaimed as her face clunked against the side of the door frame, causing her head to jerk backwards.

 

She heard Marina try to contain her laugh the best she could but when Pearl turned her head in the octoling’s direction, pouting and rubbing at her cranium, she heard a splash of water followed by a real laugh.

 

“You… didn’t see that.” She grumbled sheepishly, heat rising to her exposed ears.

 

Pearl heard another light laugh as she put her hands out warily and began to feel her way out of the bathroom.

 

“I won’t tell a single soul.” Marina called after her as she stepped back into the bedroom. Grabbing the knob, Pearl pulled the door with her, leaving it cracked only the slightest bit. Her hands went up to push the goggles to her forehead, allowing her to have her fifth sense return to her.

 

Placing her hands to her hips, Pearl released a deep breath and looked all around her room. In one corner, there was Marina's brand new guitar and her new cajon. Their old ones were pretty much destroyed after the storm, despite being protected by their “supposed” weather-proof cases. Near the entrance to her room were a pair of black and white shoes that were much too large to be hers and hanging off a door hook was a black hoodie with bright green accents adorning it's simple design.

 

Pearl smiled softly to herself as she leaned down to place Marina's discarded clothes into the laundry hamper.

 

Her home was slowly starting to feel like a… _home._ It was a feeling she didn't even know she was missing until the endearing octoling came stumbling into her life.

 

Well, more like _she_ came stumbling into Marina's life. Pearl felt her cheeks warm in temperature as she nervously tugged at the collar of her shirt, her bedroom suddenly becoming uncomfortably hot and stuffy. She was beginning to really start feeling… _things_. Things that she _explicitly_ told herself to not start feeling until Marina was of better health. Ah, but of course her heart was a rather impulsive thing. It did whatever it wanted, whenever it wanted.

 

_Do I like Marina?_

 

Pearl scratched the back of her head, her eyes drifting over to gaze at her friend's guitar. It was a question that she found herself pondering over daily. At first, she argued against it: of course she liked Marina, they were friends. What kind of stupid ass question was that? However... as the days began to pass, blurring into each other; as the girls spent more and more time together with _less_ and _less_ personal space between them due to Marina's condition...

 

It was starting to become a little difficult to ignore the elephant-seal in the room. Pearl wasn't quite sure how Marina felt, but she was slowly beginning to get a handle on her own emotions.

 

The thoughtful inkling laughed quietly to herself, a light blush dusting across her features.

 

Who could have know that one simple encounter could have led to where they were now.

 

A quiet voice from inside the restroom caught her attention, her ears always on a swivel.

 

“Pearl, I'm done.” Marina called out softly.

 

Releasing a content sigh, Pearl bumped her fists together across her chest before pulling her sock-filled goggles back over her eyes.

 

“Rrrrroger that!” She beamed, blindly strutting her way to the bathroom. “Captain Houzuki is pullin’ her way back into the port! Please wait patiently while- _fuck!”_

 

She ran into the door frame, _again_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to it's initial obnoxious length (11,000 words hhh) this chapter was split up into two parts, literally moments before being uploaded. The next part will pick up right where this one left off, and will be posted on this upcoming Monday (11/5)!
> 
> Anyways, hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I, uhh.... definitely needed to get my fix for some fluff so that's what we got. We're about halfway done with the story as of now and my excitement (and sadness) grows as we get closer and closer to the end! But fret not, we still have A LOT to get through before that point ;)


	8. A Better Understanding

The rest of their bath regime flowed by smoothly. After helping Marina wash her legs and feet, since the octoling was unable to do that herself, the pair checked that item off of their to do list.  Pearl then began to blindly help Marina to her feet once more before wrapping her up in her warm, fuzzy bathrobe. Once she was covered, the inkling removed her sock filled goggles and placed them underneath the bathroom cabinet on their way out. Unknowingly, Pearl forgot to take her hair out of its' tie this time around, leaving her ears out and visible.

 

Carefully, one step at a time, Pearl helped guide Marina back into the bedroom so they could move on to the next part of their routine. Despite having a few clothes of her own, Marina would always quietly ask if she could still wear Pearl's oversized, pink and yellow hoodie to sleep, since it was really comfortable. Amused, Pearl would agree, but not before teasing her about it, much to the octoling's annoyance and embarrassment.

 

Pearl walked over to the closet to grab the hoodie before turning to her dresser to get the rest of Marina's night clothes and undergarments. “Uhh… Looks like I need to do laundry tomorrow.” She murmured, shuffling through her drawers. “You don't have any more sweats or joggers, so are you okay with your shorts for tonight?”

 

“You mean the ones that are like, huge on me?” Marina snickered, sitting on top the bed. “I mean, I guess if it's the only option…”

 

Pearl's shoulders shook with light laughter as she grabbed the simple shorts before gathering up her own night clothes. “Well, it's either wear a pair that are a bit too big, or you can take mine.”

 

Marina shook her head furiously, her tentacles swishing about. “And lose my ability to breathe? Hmm, hard pass.”

 

“Heh, that's what I thought.” With a knowing grin, Pearl began to walk back over to the bed to set all of their clothes down. “We'll just have to triple-knot them, or something.” The pair’s quiet bickering soon faded away when the inkling reached under the bed to pull out her first aid kit. It was buffed up and improved since Marina first arrived at her home, overflowing with rolls of bandage, disinfectant cream and other medical tools.

 

However... the air around them quickly grew heavy with weight.

 

It was time for the second, less favorable part of their night-time regime.

 

Pearl took a deep, pensive breath, knowing what was coming next.

 

Wordlessly, Marina reached out and took the hem of Pearl's shirt within her fingertips, the inkling’s exposed ears immediately drawing back with discomfort. Her face heated with shame as her shirt was effortlessly pulled up and over her head. She quickly glanced away, unable to look Marina in the eyes as she felt her friend’s fingers slip into the back of her thin, pink training bra.

 

There… wasn't any reason for Pearl to wear anything else to support her chest, or lack thereof. Honestly speaking, she could probably get away with wearing nothing underneath her shirt, if she really wanted to.

 

But she _didn't_ want to, because then that meant truly accepting the fact that her body was _wrong._

 

Pearl couldn't help but shiver as the pink material was carefully pulled over her head, exposing the flaws of her back and chest to the cold, unforgiving air. Marina was always exceptionally gentle when undressing her, and that was something that Pearl was silently grateful for. No matter how many times the girls had done this routine, it was still a rather tense and awkward situation, for the both of them. They rarely spoke during this part of the night, their minds running over to their own, troublesome thoughts.

 

Only when she felt the habitual, warm hand rest against her forearm did Pearl finally turn her gaze to Marina. The octoling was in no better shape than she, her usual vibrant teal eyes clouded with uncertainty and apprehension. Yet, she gave Pearl a small, knowing nod before glancing away herself.

 

The inkling released a quiet breath before beginning to move her shaky hands to Marina's shoulders.

 

_We can be painfully uncomfortable, together._

 

Pearl slipped her hands into the soft, white material and gently pulled it down from her shoulders to let the material collect around Marina's waist. The octoling quickly moved the arm opposite of her injury across her chest to cover herself. Reaching into the first aid kit, Pearl grabbed the pair of safety scissors and began to cut away at the damp bandage. Once it was all removed, she tossed it into the adjacent small trash bin before leaning down to inspect the wound.

 

The gash was still raw yet, tinged a healthy seafoam color instead of the sickly seaweed green it was a few days prior. A fragile, juvenile scab had formed over the newly healing skin, protecting the body with it's first line of defense. Unfortunately, due to how deep it was, and without the option to take Marina to the hospital to properly get stitches…

 

It was going to take a while for the wound to completely heal, and once it did, Marina’s skin would never be the same texture or pigmentation ever again.

 

Pearl frowned solemnly.

 

She knew all too well what that felt like.

 

Placing the scissors back into the kit, Pearl grabbed the tube of antibiotic cream and squeezed out a fair amount onto her fingers. Marina flinched involuntarily, her hands gripping into the mattress as Pearl began to gently rub the ointment in. Once the initial spurt of pain subsided, the octoling's eyes fluttered closed as she felt the chilly cream seep into her heated skin, soothing her body's anxious nerves.

 

After the gash had been coated in a healthy amount, Pearl began to stick the squares of gauze to the wound. She then reached for the clean roll of bandage and began to wrap it around Marina's torso, right under her breasts a few times. After the third or fourth wrap, she changed course and wrapped it around the octoling's afflicted shoulder to give the bandage some leverage. She then made her way back around Marina's mid one last time before cutting the bandage at her back. Finally, she took the loose end and bonded it securely to the rest of the bandage with a strip of medical tape.

 

“All done.” Pearl whispered out, gently patting Marina's clothed knee as she began to gather the tools back into the kit to place back underneath the bed. When she stood back up, she turned her attention to Marina's sleepwear. Working together, the pair managed to slip Marina into her undergarments and night clothes. Conversely, once the younger girl was fully clothed, they focused their attention to Pearl to do the same thing.

 

As they worked to get Pearl dressed in a simple black tee, the inkling couldn't help but notice that Marina was staring at her, her teal eyes pensive and shadowed over.

 

Pearl's face flushed nervously, her ears drawing back once more. “W… What?”

 

Marina didn't answer her, but instead leaned in a bit closer, her eyebrows furrowed together in deep thought. Pearl felt her heart rate quicken, her body freezing up, rendering her helpless and unable to move. Wordlessly, the octoling reach up with a hand and hovered it right next to Pearl's pointed ear. She pressed her thumb to her index and middle finger, leaving her ring and pinky finger curled into her palm.

 

_Snap._

 

The ear flicked reflexively.

 

Marina's eyes widened with intrigue as she continued to stare at Pearl's ears. “How interesting…” She murmured quietly. “Is that an inkling thing?”

 

Pearl's face rose to a dark shade of red as she realized in horror that she never took her hair out of the ponytail, leaving her expressive ears exposed.

 

“U-Uhm, well, n-no… Well, kinda…? Y-You see, it's, uhh...” The poor girl was quickly reduced to a stammering puddle of embarrassed ink. “I-It's a Pygmy Squid t-thing.” She squeaked out eventually.

 

Marina's head tipped to the side in confusion. “Pygmy Squid?”

 

Pearl nodded her head slowly and swallowed nervously as she felt the heat from her cheeks spread out to the tips of her ears. “Y-Yeah… Like, we’re all collectively inklings, but there are… d-different species of us.”

 

“Ah, I guess kind of like Blue Ringed Octolings.” Marina made a brief gesture to her friend with a hand. “So, what's special about Pygmy Squids?”

 

“U-Uhm… well... way, way, way back in the day, when inklings were primitive and hunted and all that junk, we used to have really… sensitive ears that could, uhm, turn and swivel to pick up the sounds of prey, or danger, or whatever.” Pearl shivered under Marina's lingering gaze, her bare toes shuffling back and forth into the plush carpet.

 

“Well… fast forward to now, and most inkling's have lost that ability to move their ears, well, uhm, at least to the extent that I can. This was just a trait that carried on with Pygmy squids for whatever reason, so it r-runs in my family, along with a few other things, aheh…”

 

Marina hummed in understanding before softly rubbing her fingers together near Pearl's ear. She watched in surprise as it twitched again, picking up on the nearly inaudible sound with ease.

 

“Amazing…” Marina breathed, genuinely awed. She moved her hand over to graze against the ear. “I've never seen anything like this.”

 

A vivid, electrifying tingle shot through Pearl's body at feeling the touch before another tiny squeak escaped through her lips. The inkling quickly threw a hand over her disobedient mouth and pointedly glanced away with an embarrassed scowl. A light blush settled itself upon Marina's features at seeing the reaction. More curious than ever, the octoling let her thumb glide across the smooth skin, starting from the base and extending it all the way to the tip.

 

Her blush only grew in density as Pearl's eyes seemed to flutter closed on their own accord before she instinctively leaned her cheek into Marina's hand. Surprised, but more importantly, delighted by the scene before her, Marina raised her other hand to the other side of the small inkling's face and began to stoke the other ear in the same gentle manner.

 

Pearl practically melted into the touch, her body leaning down into Marina's hold. Soon, a quiet, involuntary sigh seeped out through her lips.

 

Golden eyes suddenly flew open when she realized what she was doing.

 

_F-Fuck..._

 

Pearl hastily squirmed her way out of Marina's soothing hands, much to the octoling's dismay, before standing up straight again with an awkward cough. Her hands quickly found their way up to her tentacles and quickly undid the hair tie, letting her bobbed tendrils bounce back down in their rightful place.

 

Marina couldn't help but frown as she watched Pearl's ears disappear behind their curtains once more.

 

“So, uhh, y-yeah. That's that.” Beyond flustered, Pearl began to gather up their discarded clothes with shaky hands, her face still flushed with heat. She tossed them into the hamper, this time, making it in, before turning back to Marina.

 

She didn't make direct eye contact, however.

 

“Welp, we're done so, uhh… you know where to find me and whatnot, if you need me. I-I'll catch ya tomorrow morning, like usua-” Marina reached out with a hand and placed it on top of Pearl's to get her to stop rambling. The inkling's eyebrows raised in surprise before hesitantly bringing her face up to meet Marina's. The octoling was looking back to her, her eyebrows furrowed with worry and teal eyes edged with concern.

 

“Pearl…” Marina began quietly, “Are you… Why are you embarrassed about your ears?”

 

Pearl gulped audibly, her eyes flickering with nervousness. She hooked a pale finger into the collar of her shirt and tugged on it.

 

“Well… b-because… they're … y'know… _weird_.” She mumbled out eventually. _They're also way too damn sensitive to any type of external stimulation…_

 

But Marina didn't need to know that part.

 

The octoling's brow furrowed together. She leaned forward, searching Pearl's eyes for answers.

 

“...Why do you think that?” She asked, lightly squeezing Pearl's hand within her own.

 

The inkling blinked at her, taken aback by Marina's gentle tone. She soon fumbled once more under her soft gaze before slipping her hand out of Marina's warm, larger one. Bringing the hand to rub at the back of her neck, Pearl let out a drawn out sigh, forcing her nerves to cool and relax.

 

“Look…” She started, momentarily glancing away. “Can we… not talk about this?”

 

The octoling looked a bit crestfallen upon hearing that, her shoulders visibly sagging. However, she soon corrected her posture, respecting Pearl's wish. After all, there was no way that Marina could expect for Pearl to talk about her insecurities, if she was unwilling to talk about hers.

 

It was their silent, golden rule, and it _could not_ be broken.

 

In mutual agreement, they dropped the subject completely and immediately moved on.

 

“Sooo…” The smaller girl began, changing the topic as nonchalantly as possible. “You down for pancakes tomorrow morning?”

 

Marina's eyes narrowed before she gave her friend a tiny, playful smirk. “Sure, as long as you're not cooking.”

 

Pearl crossed her arms over her flat chest and huffed indignantly. “I'd like to see you do better.” She grumbled, her golden eyes glinting in amusement.

 

As per the usual, the pair quickly began to squabble back and forth, someone mentioning “setting off the fire alarm” while the other brought up “burnt and uneven flapjacks” and “not even a dog-fish would eat them”.

 

The moon was well into the sky by the time both girls were able to settle on the fact that they'd both probably burn the apartment down, taking the entire complex with them.

 

So breakfast take out, it was.

 

“Well, it really is late,” Pearl stated as she drew her arms up above her head in a lengthy stretch, briefly exposing her soft, cream-colored stomach. After her stretch, she let her arms flop down with a dramatic, animalistic yawn. “Everything been good in here for you, so far?”

 

Marina gave her a faint smile. “Yeah, as good as it'll get."

 

Pearl pouted upon hearing that, a finger curling under her chin in thought. “Is it too cold for ya? I can turn off the ceiling fan. Oh! Or is it the blinds because like, when they're closed at just the right angle the moonlight will slip through them, right at your eye level and blind you in the face while you're trying to sleep? I really hate it when that happens because-”

 

Marina cut off Pearl's iconic rambling with a small laugh. “No, the ceiling fan is fine, and so are the blinds. It's just...”

 

“It's the bed, isn't it?” Pearl filled in, clicking her tongue as if suddenly realizing something obvious. “I know, my bad. I need to get a new one because there's that weird kink at the center in the mattress that-”

 

“No, Pearl.” Marina interrupted, rolling her eyes in amusement. “It's not the bed either. It's just, uhm…” The octoling glanced down to her lap, her thumbs rubbing against one another. “I wish… I wish I could actually sleep so maybe I could even understand what you mean by the mattress feeling weird.”

 

Pearl frowned upon hearing her words. “You… haven't been sleeping?”

 

The octoling sighed warily. “Well, I mean _, I have_ but… it's never anything that I wake up rested from."

 

_Oh…_

 

Pearl quietly took a seat next to Marina, her bare feet lifting off of the floor. Despite being short herself, Pearl's queen sized bed was tall and a considerably high distance off of the ground. She glanced towards her friend, but she quickly found that she didn't even really know what to say in response to hearing Marina's predicament. Nightmares were never a fun thing, Pearl having her fair share of night terrors when she was younger.

 

_I just wish there was something I could do to help…_

 

 _Wait._  

 

A _ctually…_

 

Pearl’s golden eyes seemed to glow as she was seemingly struck with a sudden idea. She quickly turned over to Marina. “I have something that could maybe help you out.” She beamed with excitement.

 

The octoling perked up at her words, clearly interested. “Really? What?”

 

“Hang on, give me just a sec.” Pearl began to shuffle off of the bed and walked over to her closet. Marina lost sight of her as she stooped down to her knees and shuffled some old cardboard boxes around, quickly becoming engulfed in the various low hanging clothes. The only thing that could be described as Pearl were her pale feet sticking out from behind her and the few, grumbled cuss words she spat as she continued to dig for whatever she was looking for.

 

Eventually, the rest of Pearl’s body reappeared from out of the heap of various cloths. A labored grunt escaped her as she attempted to push a large, battered box across the floor. Her feet scuffled rapidly against the carpet to no avail like a cartoon character trying to get a running head start on slick ice.

 

An amused face watched the struggle from across the bed.

 

“You alright there?” Marina asked, her voice light as a feather and tinged with the beginnings of a small laugh.

 

“Damn slippery carpet…” Pearl quibbed under her breath as she pushed the box with all of her might to the foot of the bed. Once done, she pulled back the flaps of the old box and pointedly ignored the heat that was trying to rise to the tip of her ears. Deciding to not tease Pearl and let her win this battle, Marina let the ordeal slide. Instead, she turned her attention to the various contents the smaller girl was now shuffling through from inside the box.

 

Genuinely intrigued, the octoling watched as pale hands moved aside a myriad of books and CDs and small trinkets.

 

“I never imagined you to be a bookworm,” Marina commented in awe.

 

Pearl snorted as she pulled out a thick novel entitled _Harry Otter_ before flinging it carelessly over her shoulder. “I’m not, but my parents always tried to make me one. Who needs dumb ol’ books when you can just watch the movie adaptation! They’re always great!” Pearl then brought up another novel by the name of _50 Shades of Ink._ She adamantly scowled at it before tossing it out of her hand like a frisbee, causing Marina to flinch as it slammed against the bottom of the adjacent dresser.

 

“Except that junk.” She growled. “A friend gave me it way back in grade school, but I never read it. I saw the movie when it came out years later, and it was shit. Like, literal shit. Dog-fish shit, type shit. Smelly ass, dog-fish shit that’s been left out in the sun, marinatin’, and then your unsuspecting, sorry ass steps into it, makin’ you have dog-fish shit all up in the grooves of your new kicks and now your whole day has turned into metaphorical and literal _shit_.”

 

“Okay, firstly, gross...” Marina squirmed uncomfortably as she envisioned the scenario that was way too vivid for her likes. She blamed Pearl for teaching her how to use imagination properly. “Secondly, what was it even about to make it that… bad?”

 

Pearl’s scouting hands immediately froze, her throat going dry. Of _all_ the things for the ever curious Marina to ask, that was one that she was NOT going to try and explain.

 

“Stupidity.” The inkling answered after a brief pause, forcibly blinking away an intruding blush. She coughed awkwardly before swiftly steering the topic away from that damned book. “A-Anyways, that’s not why I pulled out this box. I’ve been looking for… ah! Here we go!” Pearl quickly put the new, unknown book into her lap, visibly glad that she was done looking for it.

 

“...Can I ask what _that_ one is?” Marina asked cautiously. If it was going to warrant her another grotesque scenario, she’d rather not hear it.

 

“Hang on a sec,” Pearl muttered, not answering Marina’s question right away. She pressed herself to the carpet and extended her arm out underneath the bed, searching once more. Marina blew an inaudible raspberry through her lips and pouted as Pearl disappeared from her line of sight once more. While she waited, she let her teal eyes wander back over to the box that was laying at the foot of the bed. Careful to not anger her freshly bandaged wound, the octoling shuffled to her hands and knees and peered over the edge of the bed to the box.

 

“Where in the fuck…” Pearl continued to grumble from below the other side of the bed, throwing some random object out from behind her. “I know it’s down here somewhere...” Marina snorted lightly at hearing her as she reached a curious hand down and began to shuffle through the box of colorful books, outdated CD’s and a few other miscellaneous items.

 

She briefly stopped to inspect a CD entitled “#$@%* Dudes be #$@%* Sleepin'” that was signed at the bottom with “MC Princess”. Marina snickered quietly under her breath as she looked to the cover picture of a younger Pearl, pierced out, screaming into a microphone. The inkling had told her about her grungy death metal days a few times, but the octoling hadn't expected her to look _that_ ridiculous. She made a mental note to give it a listen at a later time. Perhaps, maybe it wasn't so bad.

 

Mayyyybe.

 

Placing the CD back into the box, Marina continued to move the various items around until she stumbled upon a folded up piece of paper. Her head tipped to the side in intrigue as she examined the anomalous stationary. With delicate fingers, she opened it up to discover the headliner of what appeared to be a newspaper article.

 

 **◇** **_I N K O P O L I S_ ** **◇** **_T I M E S_ ** **◇**

 **《** **_BREAKING NEWS_ ** **》**

 

_A shock wave struck while one young lady was performing at the recent Youth Folk-Singing Contest, doing damage to the venue. Fortunately, no one was injured._

 

Marina’s eyebrows furrowed in thought as she looked at the article, focusing more on the pictures and not so much the text since she couldn’t read Squiddish that well. There was a picture of a young inkling girl with two long, white tentacles that were tipped with pink at the ends. She was wearing a frilly red dress with a white collar that went up to her neck and her mouth was parted as she appeared to be singing into an adjacent microphone.

 

Marina sat back on her heels as intrigued teal eyes continued down the article. There was another photo; a set of speakers and amps on a stage that were completely destroyed, presumably by the aforementioned shockwave. Smoke billowed out from the hardware as wires were poking out everywhere, stripped and fried, the camera catching some of the glare from the sparks they created.

 

However, as interesting as the report was, what really caught Marina’s attention wasn’t at all was was printed on the paper. In vibrant red marker, someone had drawn a large “X” over the entirety of the article. At the bottom, there was a hastily scribbled word that Marina couldn’t decipher simply because of her language barrier.

 

“Ah! There it is!” Pearl called in relief as she finally found what she was looking for. She popped back up from the side of the bed, her bobbed tentacles bouncing lightly as she did so. “Sorry that took so long, I couldn’t remember where-”

 

Her voice got caught in her throat as she saw what Marina was looking at.

 

“Hey, Pearl,” Marina started, not taking her eyes off of the article. “What's this?”

 

The smaller girl felt the ink running through her body turn cold as ice. Dropping the objects in her hands, she hastily climbed onto the bed and snatched the newspaper out from Marina’s curious fingertips.

 

“Where did you find this?!” Pearl demanded, her golden eyes wide and wild with shock. Her sudden outburst caused Marina to flinch and stumble back onto her haunches. Unfortunately, the octoling was very close to the edge of the matress and despite Pearl lunging out in an attempt to grab her, she ended up falling off the tall bed and hitting the floor on her injured side with a dense _thud_.

 

She heard a loud, throaty cry come from below the bed.

 

“Shit-! Marina!” Pearl yelled as she quickly scrambled off of the mattress and stooped to a knee beside her friend. “Are you okay?? Fuck, I-I’m so sorry!” Marina didn’t respond and instead, involuntarily rolled onto her back and arched her spine in a cry of agony. Her eyes were clamped shut and her face was screwed up into a deep grimace as she was momentarily paralyzed with pain. A fall from Pearl's bed to the floor wouldn't hurt the standard person, but for Marina, it was a fall that she definitely did _not_ need to experience in her current condition.

 

 _Fuckin’ idiot!_ Pearl cussed to herself, trying to find the appropriate angle in which to gather Marina in her arms. The octoling threw her spine back down to the ground with a strained gasp of air through clenched teeth, her abdomen rising and and falling with quick, uneven breaths. Her teal-tipped fingers were raised in the air above her chest, digging into her own palms in tightly closed fists. The injured girl’s body began to reflexively roll over to her side in a feeble attempt to escape the pain, but Pearl placed her hand to Marina’s shoulder to keep her in place.

 

“Shh… T-Try not to move…” Pearl stammered in the most comforting voice she could manage. She applied a light pressure to Marina’s shoulder, forcing her to remain still. With her free hand, she brought it up to one of the octoling’s and gently placed it on top of hers. “Here... Maybe try holding my hand to-”

 

Pearl had to bite down hard on her tongue to keep from screaming out when Marina’s larger hand suddenly grabbed onto hers with the strength of a Steelhead. The inkling could do nothing but take the pain as Marina squeezed her hand with so much force, it caused the tips of her pale fingers to turn purple. Pearl slumped to the floor alongside Marina as the both of them fought through their own pain.

 

 _This is what I deserve for yelling at her_ , Pearl thought through gritted teeth, listen to her friend’s labored breathing. _I’m so stupid..._

 

After what seemed like eons, Marina finally began to loosen her grip on Pearl’s hand, making the smaller girl involuntary gasp with relief. With shaky arms, Pearl pushed herself back up into a sitting position, glancing down to her friend. Marina still had her eyes closed and fists raised, but her expression wasn’t as deeply embedded into a scowl like it was earlier.

 

“You… you okay?” Pearl asked quietly, her face heated with shame. Her hand was throbbing with immense pain, but she pointedly chose to ignore it the best that she could.

 

Marina squinted open an eye and looked up to Pearl before giving the faintest of nods. “Y-Yeah… Just had… to let it… subside...” Her teal eyes trailed down to her friend’s hand, looking at it with worry. “Are… you okay?” She panted quietly, her expression falling with guilt.

 

Pearl shook her head fervently, pulling her momentarily discolored hand away from Marina’s line of sight. “No. Don’t you _dare_ feel sorry me, Reena. This is all my fault. I’m the one who should be apologizing to you.” The octoling blinked at her a few times, looking as if she wanted to argue, but when she saw the sheer amount of culpability swirling within Pearl’s golden depths, she held her tongue and glanced away.

 

Pearl blinked at her gratefully before beginning to maneuver Marina’s unafflicted arm around her neck while her other hand went to the octoling’s waist. “C’mon… let’s get you back up there.”

 

Working together, the pair had managed to struggle back to their feet. Wanting Marina to do the least amount of work possible, Pearl quickly turned and leaned to the side so that Marina’s back was resting flat against the top of the bed. Next, she then picked up Marina’s legs and hoisted them up and over the edge of the mattress.

 

“There… we go…” Pearl panted as she got her friend situated, fluffing out the pillow in an attempt to make sure that Marina was as comfortable as possible. “I’m really worried about how you fell, so I’m gonna take a quick peek, okay?”

 

Marina nodded in understanding, habitually turning her head to the side, away from the inkling. Pearl’s hands soon found their way to the hem of Marina’s top, like they often did so many of times. With a gentle touch, she began to slide the octoling’s hoodie up her abdomen, before abruptly stopping herself.

 

_…uncomfortable, together._

 

Pearl's face fell with a hard scowl that was directed towards herself. She hastily wiggled an arm out of the sleeve of her bra and shirt before pulling them over her shoulder. With half of her chest exposed, the inkling turned her attention back down to her friend. She pushed Marina's hoodie up, just enough so that she could see the bandage. With delicate, careful fingers, she lifted only the bottom of Marina's bra to inspect the wound.

 

The Great Zapfish must be watching over them because Marina's wound had somehow, even after that nasty fall, thankfully not reopened. Pearl let out a puff of air in relief as she began to draw Marina’s shirt back down.

 

That was the second time the gash had an opportunity to split; the first one being the morning after Marina first stayed the night.

 

If they got a third strike, Pearl was more than certain that their luck would run out.

 

The third time will _not_ be their charm.

 

Sensing that Pearl was done inspecting her, Marina turned her head back, her eyes looking up to Pearl's in questioning.

 

Pearl swallowed down the large large lump on her throat. “Everything's okay.” She murmured quietly.

 

The air around them quickly turned tense, so palpable that once could cut the atmosphere with a knife. For the next few moments, the only thing that could be heard were the gentle chirps from the night-time crickets coming fromoutside.

 

“Marina, I…” Pearl glanced away, her eyes suddenly locking onto the forgotten article on the bed.

 

Her cream eyebrows furrowed pensively upon the sight.

 

“I'm sorry for yelling at you…” She murmured, reaching over to pick up the newspaper, her golden eyes hollow. With a deep breath, Pearl folded the paper back up and leaned over the bed to toss it into the small trash bin. “I just, uhm… wasn't expecting to see that… I thought I tossed that in the trash years ago...”

 

Marina watched quietly as Pearl crossed an arm over her chest to grasp at the opposite shoulder, her eyes slowly becoming more and more clouded over. Instead of responding, the octoling carefully pushed herself up into a sitting position and scooted herself in front of her friend. Pearl looked up to her with a cautious gaze, unsure of why she had moved over. Wordlessly, Marina removed Pearl's hand from her shoulder and placed it in her lap. With gentle fingers, she began to pull Pearl's splayed shirt back down to it's rightful position.

 

“Hey… no worries.” Marina stated quietly, her hand momentarily brushing against Pearl's. “I… shouldn't have gone through your stuff in the first place.” The inkling opened her mouth, fully intent on rebuttling, but Marina cut her off before she could.

 

“It's okay, Pearl.” She assured, patting the smaller girls shoulder. “Really. Don't beat yourself up about it, alright?"

 

Pearl blinked at her a few times, still looking as if she wanted to argue but ultimately, she released a sigh of defeat.

 

“Okay.”

 

Marina offered her a small smile before beckoning her head to other other side of the bed. “Now, what was it that you wanted to show me?” Pearl's head immediately jerked back up; she had honestly forgotten all about that. Shuffling off the bed once more, the small inkling stooped to the ground to gather up her unknown items.

 

She soon popped back into Marina’s line of sight, with her hands behind her back. “Okay… Before you judge, hear me out, alright?”

 

Marina’s eyebrows pushed together, puzzled, before she slowly nodded her head. Pearl nodded back before out stretching her hands to her friend. In one of them was a thin, pink fleece blanket, and in the other, a small, colorful book that was weathered with age.

 

“When I was little…” Pearl cringed, glancing away for a brief moment. “Well, _smaller_ than I am now... sometimes, I would have a… h-hard time falling asleep.” She passed the blanket over to Marina, who took it with quiet curiosity. Her slender, teal-tipped fingers ran gingerly across the feather-soft material. “My dad would wrap me up in that blanket and read me this story,” Pearl then gave Marina the book. It was a bright yellow thing, with a small, smiling sea-bear on the cover wearing a red shirt.

 

“Again, I’ve never cared for books, but for some reason, I really liked this one.” Pearl explained as Marina examined the cover thoughtfully. “The premise of it was honestly, very stupid. It’s about this chubby little sea-bear, who's actually a sentient stuffed toy, that goes on these grand adventures with his friends and some weird little squid kid. But…” Pearl's voice momentarily dipped, her eyes softening as her thoughts began to drift.

 

“But… even though it made no logical sense… for some reason, it was the only book I would actually pay attention to when my dad would read it to me at night. Even as I grew older, I kept it and my blanket with me because they just made me feel… safe. It just reminds me of… simpler times, y’know?”

 

Pearl's hands clasped behind her back, her gaze clouding over with distant memories as the air suddenly tasted of bittersweet nostalgia.

 

_I... should give mom and dad a call for once, instead of them calling me._

 

“I know it’s childish and whatnot,” She continued, “but it really helped me get to sleep whenever I was having... issues. Maybe it can help you as well.”

 

Marina nodded slowly, her shoulders deflating. “Anything’s worth a try, at this point.” She murmured solemnly, gently wrapping the tiny blanket around her shoulders. A good night's sleep... when was the last time she experienced that?

 

However, there was just one small problem with her friend’s offer…

 

Marina quickly lowered her head as her fingers twiddled nervously with the fabric draped over her shoulders. “But Pearl… you know I can’t, uhm…”

 

“What’s up?” Pearl asked, resting her palms against the bed.

 

“I…” Marina’s face flushed with what seemed to be shame. “I can’t read Squiddish that well…

 

_Oh, yeah…_

 

“Hey... that’s okay.” Pearl then blinked, her eyes growing pensive before finally settling with resolve. “We can... read it together, if you’d like. Just like dad did for me.”

 

Marina glanced up to her, momentarily surprised at the offer. “Oh, uhhh... Well, I mean, if you wouldn't mind-”

 

“I don't.”

 

“If it’s not a bother-”

 

“It isn’t.”

 

Marina could only blink at Pearl as she was met with a comforting gaze, those golden eyes warm like the rays of sunshine. The inkling offered a small yet, endearing smile, one that made Marina's cheeks tingle with heat. She returned the gesture with a timid smile of her own, a hand going out to play with the tip of one of her swaying tendrils.

 

She nodded her head once, eyes softening with gratitude.

 

“Okay.”

 

Pearl's smile widened to a toothy grin before she beckoned with a tilt of her head to the front of the bed. “C’mon, I haven't read this book in years! I'm curious to see if it's as good as I remember.” She pulled back the comforter and shuffled under the sheets with her back resting against the headboard.

 

“So, how did your father read it to you?” Marina asked curiously, beginning to climb under the sheets with Pearl.

 

Pearl grinned at her. “Oh! Well, dad would hold the book out like this and I would--” The small inkling cut herself off, her face dusting over with a blush.

 

_Oh…_

 

Marina's head tipped to the side like a confused guppy as she watched Pearl fumble next her.

 

The inkling cleared her throat awkwardly. “Well, he would, uhm…” _Shit._ “He would lie down on his back, and I would, uhh… c-curl up against his shoulder, and then we'd read the book together.”

 

“I… see.” Marina murmured, a finger curling thoughtfully underneath her chin.

 

“But! W-We don't have to do all that.” Pearl blurted, trying to backtrack. “I can just sit here and then you could-”

 

“Let's give it a try.”

 

“-lie there and, wait… _what?”_ Pearl blinked at her friend as if she had sprouted an extra head, her mouth hung ajar.

 

Marina shrugged her shoulders as nonchalantly as she could, an index finger going up to scratch at her cheek. “Well… if we're going to replicate what you father did for you, we need to do it exactly the same… right?"

 

“Err… well, I mean, I guess… you're right…” Pearl fumbled with herself once more, embarrassed as her pale toes curled underneath the cool sheets. “W-We can try it.”  She soon shimmied down to her back before a hand gently patted the vacant space next to her, gesturing for Marina to follow suit. The younger girl gave a tiny yet, eager smile before also beginning to make herself comfortable. Pearl ears twitched underneath her tentacles, her nerves hot and alert when Marina’s smooth leg momentarily grazed against hers as she got situated against her shoulder.

 

 _Oh c-cod,_ Pearl thought, her mind spinning like a beacon. _Just play it cool…_

 

Wait... play _what_ cool?

 

Pearl groaned inwardly before quickly shaking her head to clear her thoughts.

 

“... Comfy?” She asked eventually, glancing down to Marina with a small smile. After a bit more snuggling, the octoling flipped her head up to greet Pearl's with a timid smile of her own. When their eyes met, their cheeks rose with temperature, but their smiles only grew wider.

 

“Your shoulders are a bit stiff and boney, but I suppose this will do.” Marina answered after a while, her fingers drawing the tiny fleece blanket tighter around her shoulders.

 

The smaller girl laughed quietly, muttering an indignant “oh, whatever” before holding the book out above of them. With her face set with determination, Pearl cleared her throat in a rather obnoxious manner.

 

She took a deep breath.

 

“ON ONE NIGHT, NOT TOO LONG AG- _mphf!”_

 

“Uh, no.” Marina interrupted with an amused face, her hand covering the inkling's mouth. “I am _not_ about to listen to you use that ridiculous voice again. It's too late for that.”

 

Pearl broke free from her hand and gave her a childish pout. “You're no fun.” She grumbled, golden eyes sparkling with laughter. She playfully nudged her shoulder against Marina's. “I'm just kidding, though.”

 

Holding the book out in front of the both of them once more, Pearl began reading for real. Her voice was soft and smooth as it naturally stretched and shortened emphasis on certain words, making her reading more engaging. A pale finger came down to the pages to trail under each word so that Marina could follow along easier. The octoling leaned her cheek into her shoulder, teal eyes content and curious as she listened to Pearl fill the quiet room with soothing warmth and comfort.

 

After reading the first few pages, Pearl craned her neck to glance down to Marina with a small smile, gesturing to the book. “Here, now you give it a try.” The octoling swallowed nervously before taking the book within delicate fingers. The girls soon switched positions, Pearl's head now resting against her friend's shoulder.

 

Marina's eyebrows were furrowed in concentration as she did her best to read the words in the book in the same manner that Pearl did. She was able to read a few on her own before her voice drifted when she approached a word she didn't understand. She helplessly glanced down to Pearl who helped pronounce her through it before they continued on.

 

After only a short few paragraphs, the octoling gave a breathy laugh before passing the book back to Pearl. “Okay, back to you now. I've had my share for today.”

 

Pearl chuckled, nodding her head in understanding. “Hey, you did well!” Returning back to their initial positions, the inkling seemed even more excited to continue reading. “Let's keep going, you'll really like this next part!”

 

Marina gave a soft smile, her eyes locking with Pearl's once more.

 

“Mn.”

 

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It was some hours later when Pearl awoke in the middle of the night. The soft glow of the bedroom light was still on, and the book she had been reading was resting against her chest, forgotten. The small inkling pressed her index finger and pad of her thumb to her eyes and yawned sleepily. Cod, her body was _so_ disrespectful, waking her up in the middle of the night like this. Why couldn't she have just continued sleeping so that-

 

Suddenly, something warm, dense and squishy slapped itself across her face, casting her vision into darkness.

 

Pearl laughed quietly to herself, discovering that it was one of her friend’s tentacles. _Rude._ With a playful grin, she removed it from her face and turned her head to the girl next to her.

 

Pearl’s cheeky smile faded immediately.

 

She was met with the sight of Marina beside her, curled up into herself, trembling. Her teal-tipped fingers formed fists that were clenched tightly into the sheets of the soft mattress. Marina’s tentacles were curling wildly in every direction, her eyebrows furrowed in a pain-ridden frown.

 

_Oh..._

 

 _“...Obin… rin… b-bubu...ru_...” The octoling muttered in Octarian, her sleeping voice laced with fear. Her tone made Pearl prop herself up with her forearms, her cream eyebrows bunching together with concern. The inkling still didn’t know her friend’s native language that well yet, but it didn’t take a multi-linguist to understand that whatever Marina had just said wasn’t something of comfort.

 

Worried, Pearl turned on her side and gently took hold of her friend’s shoulder. “Hey, Marina… wake up…” The younger girl’s body suddenly jerked with a small, pitiful sob as a lone tear rolled down her cheek. She muttered a few more indeserible words in her sleep before curling further into her fetal position.

 

“Reena…” Pearl gently shook her shoulder again, this time leaning down a bit closer to her face. “Hey, c’mon… wake up. It’s just a bad dream...” Unfortunately, Marina didn’t seem to be able to hear Pearl through whatever horrors her mind had taken her to.

 

Despite wanting to get her friend to snap out of it, Pearl didn’t want to shock her awake. The last time she had did that, even if only by accident, Marina had freaked out, which then sent her to a state of immense pain and suffering as she jolstered her wound. Although Marina was healing, the inkling was more than certain that she would unintentionally rip open the healing scab, which was the last thing she wanted.

 

 _Especially_ not after her fall from earlier. Pearl _had_ to be careful.

 

 _But I just can’t let her lie here like this…_ Pearl thought warily. Surely, there was something else that she could do to help her friend? Although it didn’t have the best chance of success from the get-go, Pearl was dismayed to know that her father’s remedy for helping her sleep though the night didn’t appear to have an effect on her friend.

 

Actually…

 

Hm.

 

There was _one_ other thing that her father used to do for her before he would leave her room for the night.

 

Perhaps the reason why Pearl’s plan to duplicate her father’s remedy didn’t work was simply do to the fact that it wasn’t _finished_. They had fallen asleep before they got that chance.

 

Golden eyes narrowed in deep thought as she turned the idea over in her head.

 

But… it was kind of a little… uhh… how would you say…

 

_Ah, fuck it..._

 

Making up her mind, Pearl reached out once more and placed a cautious hand on Marina's shoulder, recoiling for a moment as if worried that it would disturb her. When Marina made no further signs of discomfort, she returned her hand, shuffling her body a bit closer to her friend’s. Leaning down, Pearl gently brushed Marina’s short tenta-bang to the side to press her lips against Marina's temple in a feather soft kiss.

 

“Good night,” Pearl whispered against her forhead, “and sweet dreams.” She removed her pale lips slowly, watching intently as Marina’s murmuring seemed to stop almost immediately. However, her body continued to shiver as her face remained tense and screwed up in a troubled grimace.

 

That was better, but still not the outcome she wanted.

 

 _"Sweet_ dreams, Reena…” Pearl insisted quietly, planting another soft kiss to the octoling’s forehead. “Have _sweet_ dreams.” She took the pad of her thumb and gently pressed it in between Marina’s eyebrows in an attempt to soothe the frown off her friend’s face. With a bit more coaxing, this seemed to work. The inkling continued to watch with unwavering eyes as the octoling's tentacles slowly began to calm their erratic movement before coming to a complete stop. Her larger hands loosened their grip in the sheets as her body rose with a deep inhale before it was quietly released.

 

Pearl sighed inwardly with relief, her eyes softening.

 

_Thank cod. I was worried that still may not have w-_

 

Pearl’s felt her heart skip nervously when Marina suddenly shuffled in her sleep to be a bit closer to her. The top of the octoling's mass of maroon, teal-tipped tentacles worked their way underneath Pearl's chin.

 

_O-Oh…_

 

Pearl's hand seemed to move on it's own accord, this time trailing down her friend’s shoulder before stopping to rest on the small of her back. There was still a considerable amount of space between them, the girls weren't clinging on to each other for dear life, but it was still close enough for Pearl to _feel_ something.

 

It's been a while since she held someone like this before. It was…

 

It was honestly nice.

 

_Well... guess I'm crashing here for the night._

 

As non-disruptive as she could, Pearl briefly rolled onto her back and stretched her body to turn off the lamp. With a quiet _click,_  the bedroom became engulfed in soothing darkness. Placing the book on her nightstand, Pearl made herself comfortable underneath the blankets with Marina once more. She propped a pale elbow flat underneath her head against her pillow and warily brought her hand back to her friend's waist. She gazed at the sleeping octoling with thoughtful, half-lidded eyes, her thumb unknowingly beginning to trace gentle patterns across her friend’s back.

 

Pearl wasn't sure of how long she lied there, lost in her own muse, but her body soon got the better of her as her eyes eventually fluttered closed. Just before she drifted off into unconsciousness, Pearl's arm wrapped just the slightest bit tighter around Marina. With a fading sigh, she succumbed to slumber, and the room returned to peaceful silence once more.

 

Both girls experienced their best night of sleep for the first time in a long while.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap! There was a lot of important info dropped in this chapter, in regards to foreshadowing, so pull out your super sleuth magnifying class and get to scoopin' out the scenes lol. I won't tell what those things are though, ohhoho~
> 
> I will say though that Marina's Octarian is, in fact, a real language~
> 
> Anyways, hope you all enjoyed the chapter! ♡


	9. [Arc 2] A Quiet Reflection

**_Beginning of Arc II: Conundrum_ **

 

Reposeful, pastel-yellow light gently poured into a quaint master bedroom like a glass mug being filled with soothing coffee by a barista. The cheerful chitter chatter of muffled birdsong could be heard from outside, indicating that the time of day was young and innocent, untouched by it's older, more mature, time-marking siblings.

 

The room was a simple space, adorned with a queen-sized bed in the center. A few band posters hung from the walls, adding color to the otherwise barren, blank canvas. Near the entrance to a small closet, rested a brown dresser with t-shirts, socks and undergarments haphazardly poking out of some of the carelessly closed drawers. A plump, yellow and pink bean bag chair was found slumped against the floor, surrounded by scraps of scribbled on paper and a wooden, Squid Sister sticker-coated guitar. To the right of the bed, there was a small nightstand paired with the customary lamp. A decently-sized chapter book lay splayed against the nightstand, a picture of a ferocious Viperfish blowing fire from its’ maw on the front cover.

 

Amongst other things, there really wasn't much to the room, no one bothering to bat an eye at the dated furniture, yet… it was the small things that really did it. The small things like the black and green hoodie hanging off the closet door, the pair of white boots kicked slapdash beside the entrance to the conjoined bathroom, the bundle of old, third-rate action movies sitting on top a small shelf near the entrance to the connected balcony…

 

It was the _small_ things such as these that breathed life and character into the room, and back at the bed, someone was beginning to take their own first conscious breaths as they slowly began to awake.

 

Pearl's golden eyes rolled underneath her eyelids before gaining enough courage to greet the morning air. For a few moments, her vision was blurred and unfocused. After blinking a few times, she was able to draw her sight out of the fogginess of sleep so they could take in her surroundings. She was lying on her side, one arm tucked against her chest and the other extended out across the mattress, resting over the waist of another sleeping form.

 

Marina was lying beside her with both of her hands pulled into her chest, curled into the warmth of the sheets and blankets around them. Although they were a few inches apart, Pearl could feel that Marina's legs were drawn upwards, her pointed toes lightly brushing up against Pearl's bare legs.

 

The sleepy inkling let out a quiet, content sigh.

 

She would never get tired of waking up like this.

 

It had been about a month since Marina started living with her, and about two weeks since Pearl introduced “story-time” to help her friend cope with her nightmares. In that short span of time, the pair had graduated up from their picture books and had begun to dip their toes into chapter books. Marina was an exceptionally fast learner; her ability to comprehend Squiddish text growing with every single passing day.

 

Pearl let her thumb gently glide across her friend's waist a few times as she observed her while she slept. As per what was practically tradition at this point, Marina had gone to sleep in Pearl's pink and yellow hoodie. The octoling had basically adopted it, Pearl admitting defeat that she'd probably never be able to wear it anymore. She laughed inwardly at that thought, her golden eyes soft and placid in the gentle morning light.

 

The progress Marina had been making, both physically and emotionally were nothing shy of amazing. With the help of her friend, Marina was able to walk decently well. The wound on the side of her body still had a long way to go, in terms of its’ healing cycle, but Marina could move around much more freely now. She still couldn't bend her body all of the way to touch her toes, but she could bend enough to where Pearl didn't have to assist her as much when it came to putting on her clothes.

 

Despite her increased mobility, Pearl still helped tend and redress Marina's wound every night. It was easier, and honestly a lot more efficient for the inkling to take care of that process for her. That time they'd spend together, both shirtless as Pearl applied a new layer of bandage and gauze, was a time fragile time reserved for quiet reflection. Although it was still rather uncomfortable, the girls were fairly used to it at this point, and the moment didn't hold nearly as much gravity or tenseness as it once did.

 

Eventually, Pearl felt her eyelids beginning to drift closed once more; she really wanted nothing more to do than continue laying in bed with Marina, snoozing the morning away but unfortunately, she actually had some errands that needed to be attended to. Begrudgingly, she stretched her four limbs out in a silent yawn before quietly shuffling her way out of the warm, comforting sheets. She plodded over to her closet and dresser, grabbing whatever came to sight first before making her way over to the bathroom door.

 

Once she closed the door behind her, she turned the knob on in the shower get the water flowing for a brief moment. Kicking off her shirt and undergarments, Pearl opened the stained glass door to her shower and stepped inside. The warm, downpour of water immediately greeted her. Tilting her chin up, the tired inkling relished in the feeling of the tiny droplets hitting her face, running down her neck to the rest of her body. She could feel the steam of the water seeping into her skin, opening her pores, and she reached out and turned the lever of the water to make it just a tad bit hotter. Pearl continued to inch the temperature of the water up until it was surely at scalding degrees. She could tolerate it however, but only because she made the transition a gradual one.

 

Turning around, she dipped her chin slightly and let the comforting rumble of the water droplets focus their attention to the back of her neck.

 

Bad move, on Pearl's part.

 

She flinched, suddenly finding herself wide awake as the last reaches of sleep left her conscious. Despite the hot water, Pearl still managed to shiver when the liquid streamed down her back, trailing it's way over her uneven, discolored skin. She sighed, for not even the calming sensation of the shower could keep her from experiencing discomfort in that area. With her toes curling against the shower floor, Pearl felt her body tense up before being unable to indulge in the prickling sensation for any longer. She made a tiny skip forward, jumping towards a corner of the shower where the water could only pelt at her feet.

 

Pearl leaned her head against the slick shower wall, cradling her elbows within her small hands as she took a deep breath to steady her nerves. She hadn't ever let the water hit her back so freely like that before, and she wasn't sure what prompted her to do so just now.

 

Perhaps she was really beginning to get sick of having to deal with… _this_. Or perhaps...

 

Pearl felt a pang of envy, watching first-hand as her friend’s body slowly recovered back to a healthy state, all while hers remained… broken. Perhaps, if Pearl pretended like this pain wasn't in her life, then maybe it would disappear. More than anything, all she wanted to do was to just be… _normal_. What _normal_ person experienced severe discomfort while taking showers?

 

She couldn't think of anyone.

 

Pearl recalled back to a feeble point in time when she absolutely hated taking showers and baths. The process of stripping herself down to reveal the worst qualities about herself was in no way comforting or desirable. Pearl remembered her parents, specifically her mother, having to literally drag her tiny, 14-year-old self into the restroom to force her to wash up. Back then, when her scars were fresh, Pearl couldn't stand undressing, and she also couldn't stand the water, no matter how warm and soothing it was to everyone else. Conversely, it burned and irritated her frail skin, more than that of other inklings, and she often helplessly flailed and wept in her mother's arms as the water was carefully drawn over her head.

 

She was a 14-year-old, having to have her mother bathe her clean in the bathtub, lather her down in soap in the futile attempt to rinse all of her sorrows away. Her mother would always coo to her softly, telling her how beautiful she was, and that every would be okay, but Pearl could almost never register her words through the sheer amount of pain she experienced during the process. Sometimes, on particularly rough days, her father had to be called in to restrain her in order for her mother to bathe her properly.

 

At one point in her young, naive life, Pearl loathed her parents for putting her through that, but as she grew older, she understood why it had to be done and found peace in her heart by forgiving them. It caused a rift in their relationship for years, one that had only just started to repair itself within the last year or so. Her parents meant no harm back then, not one bit, but it was important for their daughter to maintain a good hygiene. The younger Houzuki girl continued to need assistance cleansing herself all the way up until she was sixteen, when finally, the pain and trauma from her scars began to slowly alleviate to a somewhat tolerable level, two years after the initial incident.

 

She was sixteen when she was finally able to independently bathe herself once more.

 

_Sixteen._

 

What a joke.

 

Pearl twitched out of her memory, realizing that her toes were beginning to tingle with a bit of uncomfortable heat. Apart from her past, there was only so much freshwater cephalopods in general could be exposed to for a certain duration of time before they were greeted with a prickly, burning-like sensation. Realizing that she was rapidly overstaying her time in the shower, Pearl took a step back towards the raining shower head.

 

A yelp of shock escaped her when the scalding hot water pelted along her petite body, her nerves no longer acclimated to take in the extreme temperature. Squishing herself against the wall, out of harm's way, Pearl reached down and hastily turned the knob to a more appropriate setting. Once the water had calmed, it only took Pearl a few minutes to wash herself up and down, using her favorite vanilla-scented body wash. She soon stepped out the shower, a plump white towel wrapped around her torso and another ruffling through her wet tentacles.

 

As she drew the towel down over her drying tentacles and face, Pearl groggily turned her attention to the fogged mirror.

 

She felt her jaw tighten as her fingers suddenly gripped at the granite vanity.

 

_What if I..._

 

Swallowing down the anxious lump in her throat, Pearl raised the free towel to the mirror and cautiously swiped a broad streak of the shower-dew away. Her eyebrows grew pensive, toes waffling against each other as she contemplated a rather ungainly thought. After a while, she made up her mind with a poignant sigh and began to shuffle the towel around her torso down to rest at her slim waist. Her golden eyes raised to hesitantly meet the clear stripe on the mirror once more.

 

For the first time in years, Pearl allowed herself to actually look at her body, in full detail.

 

She immediately grimaced.

 

It wasn't impressive.

 

A pale hand slowly raised to cup at where her breasts were _supposed_ to be. Instead, she was met with nothing but a flat surface with only a little pink nipple to indicate what never was. Her breasts had only the opportunity to grow into what were small, prepubescent bumbs and nothing more. Due to the lack of substance, Pearl was easily able to feel how dense her heart was pounding beneath her wet skin. With a troubled frown, she dragged her fingertips across the expanse of her cream-colored chest, briefly wondering how things could have been if certain events didn't transpire in her life. But, there was no use in wishing for what she could never have.

 

At least, that's what Pearl tried to comfort herself with.

 

However, that method of thinking didn't work when she was sixteen, when all of the other kids around her starting hitting puberty, and that same method sure as hell didn't work now.

 

Her body, was in fact, _wrong._

 

Timid, pale hands soon travelled up her chest, past her neck, before reaching back to tuck her two front tentacles behind her ears. They were both flattened, parallel to the ground, truly indicating how uncomfortable Pearl felt in her own skin. She ran a delicate hand over one of them, remembering back to a time when she futilely tried to tape them to her head to keep the expressive things from flicking about.

 

What a truly naive little child she had been.

 

Turning to her side, Pearl's hands continued their journey, changing direction to greet and hold her shoulder. Her eyes wandered over to her back, and how she could see the scars, faintly raised and elevated up from her skin, slightly darker than the rest of her body. Wrapping an arm around her torso, she cautiously dragged her fingers across her lower back, the most sensitive part of her body.

 

Her father had affectionately referred to her scars as her cool “tiger-shark stripes” in an effort to make her feel better, but to Pearl, they looked more like a gross, mangled up spider web.

 

There was nothing _cool_ about creepy little spiders. Just the thought alone made Pearl's skin crawl.

 

Deciding that she had had enough of counting all of her insecurities, Pearl quickly patted herself dry and flung the towel to the floor. She began to slip herself into a clean pair of boxers; a pink pair adorned with little white stars. She then reached out and worked on a white training bra, a part of her life that she never graduated out of, but she wasn't in the mood to dwell on any of those issues for any longer. Next, came on a simple pair of black jeans, partnered with a baby blue and pink striped sweater with a single, bright yellow patch on one of the wrists. Gathering up all of her discarded clothes and towels, Pearl stepped out of the bathroom and tossed the wet bundle into the nearby laundry hamper.

 

Quietly, as to not awake her roommate, she tiptoed her way over to her dresser and rolled on a pair of socks before finally stepping into her white boots. Patting down her sweater in completion of getting dressed, Pearl carefully grabbed her house keys off her dresser and began to head for the door. As she passed by the bed, she couldn't help but notice that Marina had shifted to her side of the mattress, nuzzled deeply into comforter as she continued to sleep.

 

 _Probably moved over for more warmth_ , Pearl thought with a soft, knowing smile. Despite how awful she had been feeling only a few moments prior, the younger girl always managed to tug at Pearl's heart strings and bring a genuine smile to her face, no matter what she was doing - and that included the simple act of just sleeping.

 

Pearl cherished their friendship more than anything, for Marina's unintentional ability to lift her spirits was not matched by anyone else.

 

Regardless… The time was now approaching 10am and honestly, Pearl was surprised that her friend was still sleeping at this point.

 

Like, girl was _knocked out._

 

Pearl couldn't believe just how much sleep Marina had been getting over the past couple weeks. Before the inkling had introduced her father's remedy, Marina was always up and wide awake when Pearl would come to fetch her in the morning, and truthfully, ever since she learned about Marina's nightmares, she could see why.

 

However, ever since they had started sleeping together - sleeping, together, not _sleeping together_ \- Marina, free of her nightly terrors, was finally able to start getting some good rest after who knew how long. So, Pearl let her slumber uninterrupted, curled into the sheets in blissful, dreamless sleep. Sometimes, the octoling would wake up obnoxiously early out of built-in habit, but on days such as this, she had the tendency to sleep in until the early afternoon hours.

 

Pearl thought it was, dare she say… _cute_.

 

Apart from that however… Pearl knew another reason why Marina slept in so much, and it had nothing to do with her nightmare-free dreams.

 

About a week or so ago, Pearl had returned home after playing some late night turf war during the month's annual splatfest. The theme was Tacos versus Burritos and clearly, Pearl had chosen the former like any sensible cephalopod would. If her taco-lovin’ comrades somehow managed to lose the splatfest, she'd be absolutely livid. There were very important and rare super sea snails on the line here, and her favorite turf shirt was only one slot away from obtaining perfect gear status!

 

Tossing her ink-stained dualies into the kitchen sink to be cleaned later, Pearl greedily snatched a handful grapes out of the fridge and began to make her way to her bedroom. She had taken a shower in the locker room at the lobby and now she couldn't wait to roll her way in bed and snore the night away. Stifling a yawn, she carefully pushed her bedroom door open, trying to be as quiet as she could so she would not wake Marina. It was well past midnight, and she didn't think that her friend would appreciate being woken up.

 

However, when she entered the room, she was surprised to see that the younger girl wasn't present in her bed. Confused, Pearl walked up to the empty mattress, resting her hand against the dishevelled sheets. Looking around the room, her eyebrows soon raised when she noticed that the sliding door leading to her balcony was open slightly. A gentle breeze carried into the room, causing the thin, light-pink curtains to gently float and dance into the air.

 

Her ears perked up when she heard a muffled grunt come from outside.

 

_...Reena?_

 

Interest piqued, Pearl scrambled to all fours and began to crawl her way over to the balcony that thankfully was, obstructed by her curtains. The inkling honestly didn’t know why she was trying to be stealthy, but… she just felt like whatever Marina was doing was something that she wasn’t necessarily supposed to see. What the hell could she be doing outside, at this time of night? Ignoring the rising temperature to her ears, Pearl carefully peeled back a small section of the curtains and peered out through the glass.

 

What she saw made her even more confused.

 

Marina was lying down, face first on the concrete floor of the small balcony, her arms sprawled out and a chair not too far behind her. It honestly looked like she had just fallen and landed face first into a faceplant. The octoling was wearing only one of her black sports bras along with a simple pair of gray joggers and no shoes or socks. The bandage sheltering her wound could be seen from underneath the material at her chest, wrapping around her torso and afflicted shoulder in Pearl’s usual form of dressing it.

 

The inkling frowned slightly, unsure of what to make of the scene. What was Marina doing out here? Did she somehow hurt herself? Did she need help getting up? Pearl was about to make a move to step outside, but she stopped when Marina slowly started to move her hands out to the sides of her shoulders before bracing them against the ground.

 

Pearl watched silently as Marina slowly lifted herself to her knees and palms. With a jerk of her neck, she flipped her long tentacles out of her face before glancing behind her to the chair. Carefully, the octoling began to raise up her bare feet so that they were perched against the seat of the chair, her body now elevated off of the ground at an angle. Once her feet were secure, Marina whipped her head back in front of her, in Pearl’s direction, face set with quiet determination. The inkling flinched and nearly splatted herself, briefly panicking when it seemed like her friend was looking straight at her. Thankfully, this didn’t appear to be the case.

 

She continued watching, mouth ajar as Marina slowly bent her elbows, drawing her chest to the concrete in a push-up. Once her chest had nearly connected with the ground, her body began trembling with effort as she made the attempt to push herself back up. The octoling’s eyebrows were furrowed into a hard scowl, one eye squinted against the pain at her side and in her lame arm. Her breaths came out labored and sharp before she eventually managed to push herself back up in her starting position before repeating the process in slow sequence.

 

_H-Holy shit..._

 

Pearl’s eyes widened in disbelief as she became suddenly aware to the fact that Marina’s body was coated in a slick sheen of sweat, glinting softly against the gentle moonlight that poured down from above. The toned muscles in her shoulders, abdomen and biceps tensed and flexed as she continued to raise her body up and down, continuing her elevated push-ups at a slow, yet steady pace.

 

Dear cod, now _this_ just wasn’t fair at all.

 

Subconsciously, Pearl began to chew on her bottom lip as her gaze began to shift across Marina’s toned body. Her half-lidded golden eyes followed one bead of sweat in particular as it formed at her friend’s forehead before sliding down the side of her cheek. It continued it’s path under Marina’s chin, then down her neck before finally disappearing into Marina’s cleavage.

 

Hm.

 

Seemingly dissatisfied with her progress, the octoling cocked her lame arm up behind her back, curling that hand into a tight fist. Her balance immediately began to falter, causing her to spread out her fingertips in her active hand as much as possible to maintain her stability.  Refusing to fall over again, a low growl of annoyance escaped from the back of her throat through sharp, gritted teeth. Her breathing came out in short, clipped puffs of air, body quivering with effort as she began to lower herself with only one hand, quickly getting back into the groove she had set earlier.

 

_Hm._

 

Pearl damn near choked on her own breathing, her face flushing to a terribly dark shade of red as she watched the scene play out in front of her. She felt like a total creep, essentially spying on her friend like this, but she found herself unable to look away and instead, leaned in. Pearl had been helping take care of her friend in close quarters for the past few weeks; it wasn’t like she hadn’t seen Marina’s skin before, but _damn it_ was there just something about seeing her friend, breaking a sweat in the middle of the night, clearly trying to strengthen her body, despite the pain from her injury.

 

An audible gasp nearly gave away Pearl’s position as Marina suddenly lost her balance and toppled over onto the hard concrete. She felt a warm shiver trail down her spine, realizing that she would not have minded being the concrete at that exact moment.

 

Hold up…

 

_What?!?_

 

A sharp hiss wretched itself from the octoling's throat. _“Do mi!”_ Marina cursed breathily, rolling to her uninjured side to cradle her torso. Teal eyes clamped shut as she gritted her teeth against the pain of landing directly on her stomach; on her fragile wound. Her body tensed, strained gasps of defiance puffing out from her lips. “Nghh… _Ose baori ee..._ ” She muttered in quiet exasperation. After a few more moments of stillness, Marina slammed a closed fist to the pavement, refusing to be bested. With careful yet, shaky arms, she shook off the pain as best as she could and pushed herself back up again.

 

Pearl felt her cheeks warm with temperature as a juxtaposing, frigid chill shot through her body.

 

She understood some of what Marina said.

 

She had no idea what “ _do mi”_ meant, she was still trying to learn bits and pieces of Octarian, but she was more than certain that she remembered the second curse translating to a phrase that was _not_ by any stretch of the means family friendly. Actually, if she recalled correctly, one part of the outburst meant “fuck”, although she wasn't sure which one.

 

Octarian was a strange and difficult language. Pearl was slowly beginning to pick up some of the lingo from Marina, and she quickly realized that Octarian wasn't like Squiddish at all. Octolings spoke in both individual words and complex phrases. Instead of learning words and putting said words together to make a sentence like in Squiiddish, sometimes, Octarian called for you to learn an entire phrase as one unit, and if you tried to break up the phrase by its’ words, it wouldn't make any sense at all. Of course, Marina only told Pearl surface things, like how to say “sun” or “blue”.  When it came to fun things like cuss words, Pearl had to turn to the internet and surprisingly learned that there were many different ways to say “fuck” in Octarian.

 

Regardless of all this... why the fuck was Marina saying “fuck”? And why was there just something about Marina speaking in her native language, cursing no less, that was just... so…

 

_Hm._

 

When a sudden intrusive and suggestive thought clouded Pearl's mind, the stunned girl finally managed to rip her gaze away from her friend, her eyebrows furrowed into a deep scowl as a hand went up to cover her mouth. She turned back to her room, eyes resting on nothing in particular as she fought to get her massive blush under control. Seeing Marina outside in the dead of night, clearly trying to better herself, despite her pain and struggles…

 

That… that was beyond admirable, but more importantly… it was attractive.

 

Like _, dangerously_ attractive.

 

Like… call the police, we are reaching illegal levels of attraction, type attraction.

 

Days following, the inkling never told Marina that she knew of these occasional nightly workouts because honestly, if Marina wanted her to know about them, she would have told her by now. Sometimes, Pearl intentionally stayed out ridiculously late just so Marina could have the freedom to train herself without fear of being seen.

 

Pearl wasn't so sure why Marina was being secretive about it, though. Perhaps the other girl was just simply embarrassed, but only Marina knew why she acted this discreetly.

 

Pearl's attention soon shifted back to present time when she heard Marina make a quiet, sleepy noise of discomfort. Blinking the memory away, she looked down and noted how the octoling's tentacles were beginning to coil and writhe around in the sheets as she slumbered.

 

 _Not another one…_ Pearl thought solemnly. Thankfully, she knew just what to do to set the octoling at ease once more.

 

Leaning down over the bed, Pearl dropped a quick peck to Marina's forehead, granting the octoling protection against any unwanted dreams or thoughts whilst she would be out. Like clockwork, her friend’s expression reverted back to one of peace and tranquility in a matter of seconds.

 

Smiling contently to herself, Pearl gently pushed one of her teal-tipped tentacles to the side. She never told Marina about this part of the remedy, however. That would be too… _weird,_  but Pearl figured if it helped Marina get the rest she so rightfully deserved, there was really no need to bring it up.

 

Amongst many things, they both kept their own secrets from each other.

 

Shuffling off of the mattress, Pearl walked over to her dresser to quickly scribble something down on a piece of paper. When she was finished, she propped the little note up on the nightstand and quietly began to make her way out of the bedroom. She quickly grabbed a few things from the kitchen, went back to place them next to the note before finally heading over to the front door.

 

_Hey sleepyhead,_

_I've gone out to go pick up some stuff. I'll be back probably around noon or so. I left you a glass of water and a plate with a croissant and fruits on the nightstand. Take it easy and don't strain yourself while I'm gone, okay?_

_If something happens and you need me, please don't hesitate to give me a ring._

_P.S,_

_Stop hogging all of the covers at night!_

 

The air was cool and crisp as Pearl stepped out of the apartment, indicating that the seasons were beginning to change into colder weather. The late-morning breeze gently ruffled her bobbed tentacles as she stepped down the short flight of stairs and began to make her way over to the train station. Her first stop was to Ammo Knights; apparently a special new type of dualies had just dropped and Pearl was morally obligated to investigate. She had heard that they had terrible range, but the kicker was that you were able to dodge roll four times in a row, which was absolutely unheard of. Intrigued by the insanity, Pearl was determined to get her hands on them.

 

When she reached Ammo Knights and saw that there was a line spilling out out of the weapon shop and trailing snaking past the lobby, Pearl decided that she just wasn't in the mood to wait that long, no matter how amazing the new dualies must've been. Instead, she pulled out her phone and ordered them straight from the online website. Yeah, she'd have to wait a few days as opposed to a few hours to own a pair, but she didn't mind, really.

 

Honestly… she felt uneasy, being away from her home for extended periods of time. Although Marina's health and strength were increasing everyday, she still feared that something could go terribly wrong whenever she had to leave the apartment.

 

Golden eyes flickered back to her phone, checking to see if Marina had sent her a text, or even perhaps missed a call.

 

Thankfully, her notification bar remained vacant.

 

Yet, Pearl didn't linger out for longer than she needed to. After completing a few monotonous tasks, her final stop was at Mako Mart, the place she humorously got fired from for taking off too much time. Although still not very good at it, Pearl was really trying her best to learn how to cook properly and so far, she learned that she could muster up enough sense to cook decent pancakes. Grabbing an array of flavored pancake batter, some cinnamon, butter, syrup, and a few breakfast drinks such as apple and orange juice, Pearl happily made her way to the check out station. An old, miserable employee she used to work with gave her an annoyed glare, and Pearl only returned it with a smug smirk of her own.

 

She didn't exactly like mooching off of the copious amount of money her father gave to her but… if she didn't have to work, she wasn't going to.

 

Especially not when she had a rather endearing octoling to care and provide for. Someone who she was excited to come home to and wake up beside everyday.

 

Wait-

 

Pearl blushed as she began to make her way out of the store and over to the nearest train station. She had always considered herself to be Marina's unofficial caretaker as she recovered, but to be her… provider? That was a bit of… something else that stemmed out in a completely different direction. A name that was primarily reserved for people involved in a… _domestic_ relationship.

 

She felt her blush spread out to her ear tips.

 

Scratch that. Pearl considered herself Marina's _friend_ first and foremost, above anything else. Assigning sub-titles to their relationship would just make things unnecessarily complicated. With a flustered huff, Pearl stuffed what grocery bags she could fit into her white backpack before beginning to make her way back to her apartment.

 

When she stepped back into her home, the first thing she noticed, or rather heard, was the sound of a gentle, soothing voice accompanied with the soft coos of a stringed instrument.

 

Dropping her bag and groceries onto the kitchen counter, Pearl felt her covered ears waggle in delight.

 

Sounded like someone was finally awake.

 

Slipping off her white boots to mask the sound of her footsteps, Pearl quietly snuck her way over to her bedroom, and carefully peeped around the doorframe. Marina was lying on the bed, now made up, with her sticker-coated guitar in her hand. Her eyes were closed as she sung, strumming the instrument as carefree as could be.

 

“Lights on me,” Marina smiled to herself, “music screams, there's no that we’ll lose, we'll l- wait, cod, not that chord-” Her eyebrows furrowed for a brief moment as she adjusted her finger positioning to hit the right notes. She chimed happily when the correction was made, picking back up where she left off. A green and black, checker-patterned leg crossed over her propped knee, her bare foot pointing left and right as it bounced to the beat.

 

Pearl couldn't help the wide grin that crept onto her face.

 

She absolutely _adored_ listening to Marina sing and jam out on her guitar.

 

Unrelated, Pearl also found it slightly humorous that Marina's toes were tinged in teal just like her fingertips. Was that a trait that all octolings had? She really didn't pay attention in grade school all that much, but in the textbooks she had to begrudgingly read, she didn't recall seeing any of the octolings with those similar features. Same applied to her friend’s tentacles; she sometimes wondered why they weren't one solid color as opposed to the dark maroonish-violet paired with light green. She didn't mind these certain attributes, she honestly thought they were fresh and unique… but still. It was definitely intriguing no less.

 

Perhaps she just wasn't recalling her textbooks correctly. Marina did mention that, like inklings, there were different species of octoling, and perhaps Marina was of a more rare species that hadn't been studied upon too much. She made a mental note to ask about it one day.

 

Shaking the thought from her mind, Pearl refocused her attention back to the oblivious singing girl a couple of paces away. With a quiet laugh, she crossed her arms along her chest and leaned against the door frame.

 

“What are you doing, you dork?”

 

Marina's eyes flew open as she jumped slightly, the last note she played going out of tune.“Oh! Pearl!” She blurted out, her face dusting over with a tiny blush. “When, uh, when did you get home?”

 

_Home._

 

Huh.

 

Perhaps this really was _their_ home now. Not Pearl's, but _theirs._

 

“Oh, just long enough to see you be a total goof,” Pearl teased, walking over to sit at the edge of the bed. She eyed the guitar, her golden eyes sparking with delight. “Is that a new doodle? I don't think I've heard you play that one before.”

 

“Yeah,” Marina gave a small smile as a light, translucent sheen of teal kissed her cheeks. “I don't really know what to call it yet, but I woke up this morning with it on my mind and decided to give it a whirl.” Her thumb jabbed once across the strings, emitting a quick, jovial staccato note to punctuate her enthusiasm. “I think I'll continue to play with it though, I really like it.”

 

Pearl nodded eagerly. “Absolutely! It sound hella fresh!”

 

Marina shrugged her shoulders as nonchalantly as she could muster, always getting flustered underneath the loud inkling's attention. Gesturing to her friend’s casual clothes, she tipped her head to the side and redirected the conversation. “Where'd you end up going off to?”

 

“Oh, just ran a few annoying errands and what not.” Pearl replied, her legs kicking freely in the air off the edge of the bed. “I also went out and bought some pancake batter so we could have a good breakfast again, like we did last week!”

 

Marina laughed quietly, “Honestly… I can't believe those actually turned out way better than expected.” She leaned back against the headboard and playfully pushed Pearl's shoulder with the sole of her foot, her eyes glinting with mischief. “Especially considering your past history with Mr. Stove.”

 

The smaller girl felt her heart flutter upon observing Marina's demeanor. The octoling could be so incredibly playful when she wanted to be. The healthier Marina got, the more active and animated she became, and the more Pearl was able to learn about her.

 

She shooed away Marina's intruding limb by lightly dragging her nails against the octoling's sole, causing her to giggle and abruptly draw her foot back. “Hey, we're putting that time period behind us.” Pearl countered, matching Marina's impish gleam with one of her own. Standing up from the bed, she gently shook Marina's plaid pajama leg. “I'll come get you when breakfast is ready, and then we can start with the morning routine, yeah?”

 

Marina's nodded her head once, her fingers tapping absentmindedly against the base of her guitar.

 

“Okay.” She smiled.

 

Pearl offered a grin to her friend and she began to walk to the door, her hand gently trailing down Marina's leg as she went.

 

“I won't be long.”

 

Leaving Marina in the bedroom, Pearl walked into the kitchen and flicked on the light. It spluttered for a moment, struggling to wake up before finally being able to cast the space in an artificial glow of white. Drawing her hands to the sink, Pearl quickly lathered them up in soap and washed them. Once done, she turned to the stove and turned on of the knobs an inch, letting it click a few times before turning it all the way. Blue flames flecked with the occasional orange spawned out in a circle, ready to be of service. With her excitement growing, Pearl grabbed a pan from underneath a cabinet and put it on the stove, spraying it down with cooking oil.

 

As she waited for the pan to heat up, Pearl took a brief moment and stepped out of the kitchen and into the living room. Plopping herself on the couch, she grabbed for the TV remote and flipped it on, searching for something to put on for background noise. She was hoping that _Shell's Kitchen_ would be playing so she could pretend to be apart of the show, whipping up the best meal out of all the contestants.

 

“...Need any help?”

 

Pearl froze for a moment, dropping the remote before whipping her head up in the direction of the soft voice. Marina was peeping out from the hallway that connected the bedroom to the main living area, her body leaning heavily against the wall as she took a cautious step forward.

 

“Woah-! Marina!” Pearl quickly scrambled to her feet, her eyebrows raised in concern. “Hang on, lemme help y-”

 

The octoling quickly cut her off with a raised hand. “W-Wait, Pearl… I-I want to try…” She took another tentative step forward, hands still pressed against the wall, taking the brunt of her weight.

 

The inkling shuffled worriedly on her toes, instinctively taking a step forward. “B-But… what if you fall?!” She hadn't seen the octoling try to walk on her own before!

 

Marina shook her head and gave a small smile through her efforts. “I won't.” She took another step forward, her eyes hardening with determination. “I'm… gonna do this. I think I'm ready to give it a go on my own.”

 

After a few more moments of staring with her mouth wide open, Pearl slowly nodded her head in understanding.  Ultimately, Marina needed to do this for herself, and no matter how badly the inkling wanted to help her, she needed to respect Marina's request.

 

“Okay.” Pearl agreed, stepping back to the couch. With a deep sigh, she forced the nervousness out of her body and stood with her posture straight, watching as her friend began her challenge.

 

Marina took a hesitant step forward, testing her weight against the floor with her bare foot as she left the safely of the hallway and began to step out into the open living space, where there was nothing for her to hold onto. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, taking one cautious step forward at a time. Once she was sure she had a good enough footing, she glanced back up towards Pearl's direction, and must've realized how daunting of a distance she still had left to cover.

 

When Pearl saw the spark for doubt momentarily pass over her friend's teal eyes, she clapped her hands once and danced a bit on her toes. “C’mon, you got this!” She cheered in a battle cry. “Kick gravity right in the ass!”

 

Marina gave a breathy laugh, nodding her head in agreement. _Of course_ her friend was going to do the absolute most, that's just how Pearl was. With a determined sigh, she took a few more steps, stringing them together in a rhythm that slowly began to work it's way up to a normal walking speed. As she neared Pearl, the small inkling instinctively leaned her body forward and outstretched her hands, palms open and inviting to her friend. She offered Marina a beaming smile, encouraging her to finish out to her trial.

 

“Almost there!!” Pearl's encouragement was not only genuine, but highly contagious. In her final few paces, Marina giggled, stumbling on her feet in a fit of excitement before practically throwing herself into Pearl awaiting arms. The force of the contact knocked the both of them off of their feet, sending the girls tumbling onto the couch. Pearl had the wind knocked out of her as she suddenly found herself thrown onto her back with Marina above her.

 

Yet, she was laughing to much too really care or notice the brief spurt of pain.

 

Even though the octoling was panting against her, she wore a triumphant, ear to ear smile, laughing along with her friend. Fueled by an emotional high, Pearl briefly pressed her forehead to Marina's and gave her a celebratory hug. “You did it!” She cheered, feeling her chest swell and warm with pride. “You freakin’ did it, Marina!!”

 

The octoling blushed and sheepishly ducked her head upon hearing the praise. “Well, uhm, I did have a really awesome girl who helped me out along the way…” She muttered quietly, trying to share some of the spotlight.

 

“Pssh, me?” Pearl raised an incredulous eyebrow, pushing an unimpressed raspberry out through her lips. “Marina, that was all you!” In a softer tone she added, “I know what you do at night sometimes, out on the balcony… How much you've pushed yourself to get stronger.”

 

Marina's eyes briefly flashed with panic. “You… saw that?”

 

“Yeah,” Pearl nodded, “And it’s fuckin’ _badass_ , but even if I didn't…” She gently rolled up one of Marina's yellow sleeves, revealing her toned arm. “You think I haven't noticed _this_??”

 

Marina's embarrassed blush grew more dense as she could only shrug her shoulders meekly in response.  “Uhm, well, I guess not, aheh…”

 

“But, never mind that!” Pearl blurted happily, shaking her head vigorously. With both of her hands, she reach up and squished Marina's cheeks in between her pale palms. “You know what this means now, right Reena?”

 

The octoling's teal and pink eyes clouded with confusion as she looked down to her friend. “...Whuhh?” She managed to blubber out from between her squished lips.

 

Pearl gave her a wide, toothy grin, her eyes glimmering like the sun's reflection over an ocean.

 

“It means that tomorrow, you and me are going to Arowana Mall!”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh... after going through several scrapped drafts of this chapter, I was finally able to break out of my writing block! And the funny thing about this? More than half of this chapter was written straight off the noggin in the last 24 hours. I just, man, it's truely amazing what happens when your creativity starts flowing once more.
> 
> Anyways, hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I apologize for the long, unprecedented delay! We've reached a new story arc, one that will be really fun to write and read~ Also, there is now enough meat in this story for things such as call backs to precious chapters to start transpiring. There were a few dropped in this chapter, did'ya catch them?


	10. Trying New Things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I'll never post another 10,000+ word chapt-

“You ready to go?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“...And you sure you’re feeling alright?”

 

“Mhm.”

 

“...We’re gonna be walking around a lot. I mean, we’ll take breaks when you need it, but...”

 

“I’ll be okay.”

 

“...Positive? We can wait another week if you don’t feel strong enough to-”

 

“Pearl.” Marina cut off Pearl’s incessant nagging with a small snort. “I’m sure.” She insisted, resting her hands inside her front green and black hoodie pocket as she leaned against the wall near the doorway. “I feel okay, I promise.

 

Pearl stood next to her, decked out in her pink hoodie with a blue and white polka dot undershirt, shifting on unsure feet. “Okay…” She slung her small white backpack over her shoulders before reaching into her jeans pocket to thumb around for her keys. “But just in case, I’ve packed my first-aid kit, along with some other stuff.” Turning to her friend, she offered a wide, beaming smile. “Oh, but you’re gonna love it though! Arowana Mall is a really cool place to hang out at and shop -- and I’m not just saying that because it’s the only place that carries my size.”

 

Pearl then reached out and playfully tugged at the material of Marina’s one and only top that belonged to her. “Time to get you a new wardrobe of clothes that fit you properly,” her gaze briefly flickered down to the small sweatpants that were _well_ beyond high-waters for Marina. “so you can finally stop mooching off of me!”

 

With a sheepish grin, Marina dipped her head in the attempt to hide a small blush. “S-Sounds like a plan.”

 

With excitement coursing throughout her body, Pearl couldn’t help but do a little skip, pumping her fist into the air. “Alright, let’s roll!” Grabbing for the door knob, Pearl unlocked it and opened her front door. The pair was greeted with a chilly atmosphere, the sky above a calming concoction of aegean and grey. It was early afternoon yet, the warm sun was lost behind the multiple herds of billowing clouds.

 

“I love this time of year!” Pearl cheered as she stretched her arms out above her head, drawing in a good whiff to let the cool air fill her lungs. “Not so hot anymore, but not too cold yet either!” With her head held up high, Pearl began to strut her way over to the outdoor stairwell. “Yo Marina, do you have a certain style you like, or do you just like to wear whatever? Arowana really does have everything so regardless, you’re covered.”

 

Pearl’s eager chatter continued on as she began to dance down the steps. “Oh, but they don’t just have clothing shops, they’ve got all different kinds of other stuff to do as well! Like, there’s a shop to get piercings and tattoos, an indoor jumphouse, a _huge_ music store, a pet shop, and during certain times of the day, they block off the entire midsection to host battles for turf and ranked! We can take a look at all that stuff once we’re done with--” Pearl’s cheerful rambling abruptly cut off when she glanced over her shoulder and realized that her friend wasn't following suit.

 

“...Marina?” Pearl called, changing direction to walk back up the few steps she had already went down. “...You comin’?”

 

She watched as Marina waffled at the entrance of her apartment, the octoling’s expression falling with worry as she stared at where the wood inside, turned into concrete on the outside. A single hand raised to Marina’s chest and gripped itself within the material of her hoodie, a mannerism Marina only did when something was troubling her. She lifted a foot, only a small inch, hesitating over the line before ultimately putting her foot back down with a painful grimace.

 

 _Oh,_ Pearl realized.

 

Marina hadn’t left her home since she first arrived over a month ago, and Pearl could tell that Marina was _beyond_ neurotic about leaving. Leaving the one place she felt safe in, to venture out into unforgiving, unpredictable territory.

 

Marina didn't feel _safe._

 

“Hey.”

 

Marina flinched, the voice she heard suddenly closer in proximity. Hesitantly, she lifted her head and was met with the sight of Pearl looking up to her, eyes soft like the fluffy, light gray clouds above them. Teal met golden, like they had often did so many times before, yet… there was something... different beginning to stir within the air around them, similar to how the wind now tasted sharp and crisp, indicating that the cooler weather of autumn would officially befall upon Inkopolis over the next coming weeks.

 

As the days passed, the warm, glowing sun became more and more sheepish, hiding for longer of periods of time beneath the horizon to give way to shorter days and longer nights. When morning would arrive, it was a nippy, foggy fiasco, the occasional frost collecting on the withering plants and trees. Succumbing to nature's natural laws, the appearance of leaves were beginning to alter, fading into a mixture of affable ambers, rakish reds, and blissful browns. They littered the park sidewalks and edges of the city streets, carefree and without regard to their own inconveniences. Their time of fruitfulness and prosperity was coming to and end, yet, the leaves were always prepared for this. They accepted their timely demise with open arms, knowing that in only a few short months, they would once again grow up healthy and strong, starting a new season of their lives.The season of autumn was never feared or dreaded by the leaves, for they knew that it was not the beginning of the end, but the start of a new beginning.

 

Comparably, just as the seasons were beginning to change amongst nature in Inkopolis, the season between Pearl and Marina’s relationship was beginning to change as well. The air they shared, that same air they breathed… it was beginning to _change_. Slowly, harmlessly, the atmosphere between a dissatisfied inkling and a displaced octoling was beginning to _change_ , whether they were fully aware of it or not.

 

“Marina.”

 

Wordlessly, Marina watched as Pearl seemed to, for the first time, put serious thought into her words and not rely on spastic impulse. The smaller girl’s tongue hesitated on her lips, her eyebrows furrowing for just the slightest moment before her mouth slowly began to part.

 

“You're not alone anymore.” Pearl stated simply, taking a step forward and extending out her smallest finger. Marina cast a pensive thought at the harmless digit, her eyes briefly flickering with a tense, indistinguishable emotion. It was a simple gesture, a seemingly meaningless offer, yet, it held a world of significance to the pair.

 

Although it only a few short weeks ago, it drew them back to a point time when they were just mere friendly acquaintances at best. It drew them back to one of the first times that Marina extended that feeble, fragile freedom know as trust to Pearl, and that was not at all anything that Pearl had ever taken for granted. That night, when they walked out from that alleyway together, fingers interlocked, into that blistering thunderstorm, into a path unknown to the both of them…

 

 _That_ was truly when the seed of change was planted into their relationship. A new season of their lives had begun that night, over a month ago, and those seeds were finally starting to sprout into saplings. Saplings then turned into trees, and trees would soon turn into an entire, healthily green, prospering forest.

 

Something within the younger octoling seemed to just… _click_ within this exact moment.

 

“You’ve... got my back.” Marina realized out loud, her eyes widening slightly.

 

Pearl offered up one of her iconic, toothy grins.

 

“ _Always_ , and don’t you forget it.”

 

A tiny chuckle escaped out of Marina’s lips as she shook her head from side to side, her long tentacles gently swishing to and fro. Slowly, she reached out her hand and gently wrapped her pinky finger around Pearl’s, giving it a light squeeze as she stepped out of the doorway to the apartment. She stood by Pearl’s side, her teal eyes losing their worry to be replaced with an appreciative gaze.

 

“What was that you were saying about a music store?”

 

\--

 

Her father was an absolute lunatic, giving her all this money because Pearl was dead set on buying Marina _whatever_ she wanted.

 

The inkling was currently sitting outside a small changing room, absentmindedly scrolling through her social media feed. At her feet were a collection of various different clothing bags of all sizes and shapes. She and Marina had been out shopping for a few hours now, and the store that they were currently stopped at was a quaint, family owned little fixer-upper. The store was empty, save from her and Marina, and the shop owner actually wasn’t even present. Instead, in her place was her son, a polite inkling teen by the name of Aster. Aster was currently at the back of the store, fishing around for a certain rare trinket that Marina had inquired to Pearl about, so Pearl really was alone in the store with her friend. Marina herself was currently in the changing room, trying on some clothes that she had picked out with a large, beaming smile.

 

After swiping over the same feed for the third or fourth time, Pearl released a rather dramatic sigh. “Reena…” She grumbled, spreading her legs out at she slouched on the bench. “Are you done yet? You’ve been in there for like, thirty years.”

 

There was some shuffling from within the room before her friend spoke up. “Almost!” Marina called to her. “I’m putting on the finishing touches…”

 

Pearl simply blew a raspberry through her lips, but could do nothing more as she leaned over her knees and stared holes into the porcelain tile. Even though she wanted Marina to have a good time, which the octoling was, she just couldn’t understand the obsession that some had with clothing to the extent to where they would drag out what could be completed in one hour to an _entire_ day. On the same hand however, Pearl knew that Marina had never experienced anything like this before, at least, not in Inkopolis, and she was more than willing to sacrifice her sanity if it meant making Marina happy. Also, even though the octoling was fairly mobile at this point, she still had to be careful when it came to disrupting her wound. Because of this, it took Marina longer than the average person to change in and out of clothes, as her process had to be handled cautiously and carefully. Pearl had offered to help her out, but Marina was insistent on doing it herself; Marina wanted her independence.

 

Pearl’s concern for Marina’s health was honestly the reason why they had ultimately postponed their outing by a week. After Marina had took that leap of faith and walked that short distance from the hallway to Pearl in the living room, she was physically fatigued and exhausted afterwards. And rightfully so, because at that time point, just because Marina could walk in the house didn’t mean that she was physically ready to do all the walking necessary for shopping at Arowana Mall. So, the two tacked on an extra week of recovery, Pearl helping Marina train her body to walk longer distances for longer periods of time and because of it, Marina was much more capable of handling herself now. The octoling couldn’t do more active activities such as running or jumping, but she could now bathe independently, although sitting up and bending over was a process that was still handled in care.

 

It was a weird feeling, but Pearl found herself beginning to _miss_ helping her friend get around and do, well, _anything_ , really. The only thing Pearl really did for Marina nowadays was help dress her wound, at that was for obvious reasons, given it’s awkward placement. Perhaps she had gotten too comfortable with being a caretaker, but Pearl had to ardently and constantly remind herself that Marina was a _grown ass_ woman, capable of carrying out _grown ass_ woman responsibilities.

 

 _Grown ass, my ass, everyone’s ass,_ Pearl thought stubbornly.

 

With another sigh, the inkling played thumb-war with herself while her ears honed in on the next song playing from the overhead speakers. Within a second of the first beat, she recognized it immediately as popstar Marie’s hit single, “Tide Goes Out.” With a tiny smirk, Pearl began to tap her foot to the catchy synth rhythm. She wasn’t the biggest Squid Sister fan, unlike Marina, who had an unhealthy obsession with them, but Pearl had to admit… this song was a total _bop._

 

Pearl found it comical how much Marina always gushed about the Squid Sisters, primarily when they were having a jam session back at home. She idolized them and enjoyed their songs so much that Marina knew the lyrics to “Calamari Inkantation” _backwards_ , and it was her go to song that she hummed from time to time. The excited octoling was distraught beyond belief when Pearl had informed her that the beloved cousin duo had split up to chase their own individual endeavors a few months back.

 

Many speculate that the pop idols had a fall out after Marie’s win in the historical and heated Callie versus Marie Splatest that made many fans belligerently turn against friends, and even family. It was an honest mess and even though Pearl wasn't the most die-hard fan of the Squid Sisters, that was the one and only Splatfest she _didn’t_ participate in. Forcing two popular icons, who were not only close friends, but close family, to have a controversial battle to decide who is “better” left a bad taste in Pearl’s mouth.

 

She just hoped that whomever Inkopolis chooses as their new hosts won’t suffer the same fate.

 

And honestly, Pearl hoped that whoever it was would hurry the hell up and make themselves known. Until the next musical duo was decided, random fillers were brought in to host Inkopolis news, and that was always a sight to see. Sometimes, it was random dudes who did nothing but plug their _InkCloud_ , swearing up and down that they were the next big singer or rapper. Another time, the three jellyfish members from the small band, Bob Dub, were brought onto the show… and there were several issues with that.

 

_Several._

 

One: Jellyfish don’t speak.

 

Two: Unfortunately, no one likes listening to their music because it reminds turf players of all the times they had to idly wait in the lobby until more players showed up. Their one and only song, "Bubble Bath" gets really old, _really_ fast.

 

Three: Jellyfish _don’t speak._

 

Pearl’s ears soon twitched again as she heard the faint click of the dressing room door pull her out of her muddled thoughts. “Finally!” She gasped, picking her head up. “I thought maybe you had fainted or something with how long you were--”

 

For the first time in her adult life, Pearl felt her tongue roll backwards and get lodged within her throat as her golden eyes widened upon the sight of seeing her friend.

 

“I, uh, know this is a bit different from what I’ve been trying on…” Marina sheepishly stepped out into the open store, her hands clasped behind her back. “But… h-how do I look?”

 

 _Fuckin’ gorgeous,_ came Pearl's immediate thought. _Like, wow…_

 

Marina stood before her, barefoot, wearing a long, flowy black sun dress adorned with small colorful floral patterns at the neck line, chest, sleeves and bottom hem. Within one of her long tentacles was some type of bright red ribbon stylistically interwoven like a net and hanging from her round ears were a pair of golden earring that fittingly looked like the shape of octopus -- where had Marina found that?

 

Marina was right though, this was _completely_ different from what she had been trying on. The octoling had been trying on casual gear, mostly consisting of crop tops and turtlenecks with jeans or shorts. And like, Marina was attractive, anyone with an operating brain could see that, but _this?_

 

Unacceptable.

 

Inadmissible.

 

Just downright _illegal._

 

Pearl’s prolonged silence and blatant ogling warranted a blush from Marina as she scratched the side of her face with a finger.

 

Realizing that she was holding Marina on a terrible cliff hanger, Pearl shook her head furiously. “You look shella fresh.” She managed to squeak out eventually. She frowned inwardly, realizing that she didn't have the guts to actually speak her mind. However, her modest compliment only made the octoling blush further, her ribbon-woven tentacle moving up on its own accord to wrap around her shoulders, as if trying to hide her embarrassed face.

 

She shyly broke eye contact to glace to the floor as her timid smile only lengthened. “T-Thank you.” Marina murmured out. The two held their gazes on each other for a few quiet moments before Marina's swiftly turned  to a nearby clothing rack. Her teal eyes narrowed thoughtfully as she shuffled through all the XXS sizes, which unfortunately were a lot more sparse in selection than her size.

 

The octoling soon clicked her tongue happily before letting out a joyous hum. “Here, try this on.” Marina prompted, holding out a newly found dress for her friend to take. It was similar in material, color and design to the one she was wearing, although the floral print adorning the edges of this dress were a lot bigger.

 

“What?!” Pearl blinked at the dress, her eyes scanning over it with haste. “Me? In a dress? Nonononono-” She held out her hands in front of her chest and vigorously shook her head side to side. She hadn't worn a dress in _years!_

 

Marina gave her a small smile, reaching down to hook the dress to Pearl's hoodie collar with its’ hanger. “C'mon, I'm not saying you have to buy it. Just try it on.”

 

Pearl felt her ears draw back with discomfort as she yanked the dress from her shirt and gripped it within her small hands. “Yeah, uh, no.” She pointedly hung it back up, in the wrong section, mind you, before plopping back down on one of the adjacent benches.

 

“Aww, what? Why not?” Marina tipped her head to the side, her face crestfallen like a child that couldn't get their way.

 

The inkling crossed her arms and legs, letting out an annoyed puff of air. “I don't do dresses.” She muttered. The last dress she had worn was a stupid frilly thing that itched up her neck, and that was _years_ ago. Also, dresses were never practical for her. What if she wanted to suddenly go running, or skateboarding? What if, on their way home, someone tried to jump them?? How was she supposed to kick someone's ass, in a dress, without her lady junk flashing everywhere?!

 

“I am _not_ putting that thing on.” Pearl declared, sitting there with her legs crossed,  arms crossed,  eyeballs crossed, _everything_ crossed.

 

“... _Please?”_ Marina pleaded with a genuine, sad frown. “Just this once?”

 

Looking over to her friend, Pearl’s scowl only edged deeper onto her face, a visible vein popping out on the side of her head.

 

Within moments, she had slammed the dressing room door behind her with the damn sundress crumbled within her hands, her face an impossible shade of dark red.

 

Stripping herself of her clothes, Pearl grumbled under her breath as she begrudgingly pulled the dress up and over her head. She was thankful that it could just be slipped on and didn't require an instruction manual on how to tie complicated ribbons and uncomfortable zippers. Kicking off her shoes and socks to match Marina, Pearl let out an annoyed sigh and glanced to the mirror.

 

She held her breath as her eyebrows raised.

 

...Hm.

 

This... actually didn’t look too bad on her.

 

Pearl found herself genuinely impressed as she cautiously checked herself out in the mirror. She was awed until she twisted her hips and noticed with a rather horrific thought that her upper back was exposed, revealing a small part of her that she in _no way_ wanted to look at.

 

 _I am_ not _in the mood to deal with you right now..._

 

Pearl frowned ardently, immediately beginning to take the dress off, but a gentle knock at the door halted her mid motion.

 

“Pearl?” Marina called. “Are you finished? I want to see!”

 

Pearl stood rigid within the changing room, her fingers hesitating to continue the removal process.

 

“It’ll be just a quick peek...”

 

After several moments of silence, Pearl let out another heavy sigh and let the dress fall from her fingertips.

 

She would literally _only_  do this for Marina. Plus, Marina had seen small snippets of her back before and hadn’t reacted in disgust so maybe… this would be okay.

 

That didn’t make this any less nerve-wracking for Pearl, however.

 

A shaky hand soon found its’ way to the door and slowly turned the knob to open it. Pearl only opened the door just enough for Marina to see her, and she immediately felt self-conscious when those teal eyes met hers.

 

Habitually, Pearl brought her hand across her chest to grip her shoulder, a mannerism she did when something troubled her. “I look… stupid, don't I?” She grumbled under her breath, her face flushed with an embarrassed scowl as Marina let out the tiniest of gasps.

 

“What? No…” Marina's eyes seemed to soften with an emotion Pearl couldn't quite but her finger on. “ _Be gan lewa…_ ” She murmured quietly under her breath, a finger curling absentmindedly around the tip of a tentacle.

 

Pearl gave her a bewildered look, an eyebrow twitching in confusion “Bacon what-o?”

 

“U-Uh--” Seemingly snapping out of her trance, Marina shook her head furiously and stood straight as a pole. “I mean--!! I-I said you look, uh, you also look like the freshest of shells, yes!” She stammered, her cheeks blazing with heat. She then took a few steps forward and leaned on her knees so that she was eye level with her friend. “ I really do think it’s a good look on you.”

 

The inkling gave her an unimpressed, sarcastic look, not believing her in the slightest. She looked only marginally passable in this damn dress, not _good_. Before Pearl could reply with something sarcastic, Marina giggled quietly to herself before pushing herself up and back on her heels in a twirl that made her dress flutter out. She spun round and round, her arms extended out as her bare feet tiptoed their way over to an imaginary stage. She reached it in an elegant manner before turning around to spin her way back over to Pearl, a series of tiny laughs escaping out from her lips.

 

Pearl watched in horror as her friend danced around like an absolute lunatic in public. _“Reena!”_ She whispered sharply, peeping her head out from behind the door. Her golden eyes were darting cautiously all around at their surroundings, worried that they would be spotted. “What in the world are you doi- _woah!”_ Her sentence was cut short with a yelp as Marina suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her out from the safety of the dressing room.

 

“Come on, Pearl!” Marina laughed, shimmying to the left and right to the rhythm of the song playing above. “Have a little fun and dance with me!”

 

 _“What?!_ No!” The inkling subconsciously cradled her elbows in her palms as she ducked behind a rack of clothes. “We’re… We’re in the _middle_ of a store, Marina!”

 

Marina twirled like a spin top before stopping to prop a defiant hand on her hip. She raised an unimpressed eyebrow in Pearl's direction.

 

“Oh come on, don't tell me you're... _scared_.”

 

“What?” Pearl's head poked out from the heap of clothes before she gave an indignant snort. “Of course I-I'm not s-”

 

“Scaredy-catfish.” Marina taunted with a smirk.

 

Pearl crossed her arms across her chest and groaned loudly. She then threw her fists down to her sides and stomped her bare feet over to stand next to the octoling.

 

“This is stupid.” She grumbled, doing her best to ignore the rising color in her cheeks. “This is very, very _stupid_.”

 

“What's your _prooooooblem_?” Marina sang out, twirling once more, her dress flattening out with ease. “We dance at home all the time, and you're the one who typically starts it!”

 

“Yeah, when it's just you and me!” Pearl muttered tersely. “Plus, there’s people around… and I'm also in a fuckin' _dress!_ ”

 

“Pearl, there's literally no one in here besides us.” Marina sighed and rolled her eyes. “What do I have to do get you to dance with me?”

 

_Kiss me._

 

Pearl almost said that outloud. _Almost._

 

Furthermore, why the hell was that even her first thought?! _Hello?!_

 

“...N-Nothing.” Pearl grumbled, forcing away yet another uncodly blush. “Let’s... just get this over with.”

 

Marina cheered beside her, shaking out her legs in an effort to evenly disperse her excitement. Pearl had made the terrible mistake of introducing Marina to the hit show, _Dancing with the Starfish_ , and the octoling  quickly became hooked on it. There was one routine in particular that the girls liked to imitate; an upbeat swing dance that involved a bunch of synchronized footwork and complicated twirls. The pair had to perform a modified version of it, respecting Marina’s wound, but it was still a lively dance regardless.

 

Taking a deep breath, Pearl began to snap her fingers to the beat of the song above, counting them off non-verbally. At the start of the first measure, Pearl reached out and grabbed Marina’s hand. With a wobbly heel kick, Pearl pulled them to the side, starting their routine off with shuffling. Now, Pearl could shuffle, that was her strong point, but when it came to all the twirls and overly detailed kicks, she had a few... issues. Still, Marina smiled at her, eagerly following her lead as she raised Pearl’s hand, prompting a timed spin. The small inkling felt her hard facade break within the moment of being spun; there was just simply _no_ way you could be a grumpy, pouty, party pooper while swing dancing. With fingers twining together, Pearl and Marina pulled and pushed each other, gliding all along the smooth tile floor, their dresses puffing and fanning out with every spin and twirl as the laughed, carefree as they could be.

 

It was definitely a spectacle to see; two strangers dancing in the middle of a small store, to a song that did _not_ line up with their style of dancing _at all_.

 

But in that moment, neither of them cared. They were having too much fun with each other, goofing off like they so often did so many times back at home. There was no one here to witness their silliness.

 

Unfortunately, Pearl's bare feet didn't have the best grip on the hard tile. When she went in for a maneuver that involved pulling Marina's body weight, her legs suddenly slipped apart, causing her to drop Marina and fall on top of her a second later.

 

In that moment, Pearl felt like some one shot her in the face with an Inkjet blast as her heart dropped to the pits of her guts.

 

 _F-Fuck!_ She panicked. _Not again!_

 

Pearl's tentacles whipped up with her head and she scrambled to access her friend, her smile gone and replaced with a terrified frown.

 

This was Marina falling off of her bed all over again, and it was her fault, _again!_

 

“S-Shit! Marina, are you okay??” She stammered, placing a hand to her friend’s abdomen. “Fuck, I’m so fuckin’ sorry! I-I didn't mean to-” Her words of frantic apology dwindled down and faded as she caught not the sounds of pain, but the sound of genuine laughter. Marina was below her, a hand covering her mouth as she tried to with no avail to silence her laugh.

 

Pearl blinked her eyes rapidly, not believing what she was seeing. “You… I didn't… I didn’t hurt you?”

 

“No, you totally did.” Marina grinned. “Your dancing still _sucks_.”

 

Pearl couldn’t focus on the playful jibe, her skin still crawling with worry. “You sure you're okay?” She pressed on, her hand moving against Marina’s side. “Are you hurting anywhere? I’m worried that maybe I caused it to--”

 

A dark-skinned hand rising up to her cheek immediately cut off Pearl's incessant rambling.

 

“Pearl, I'm _okay_.” Marina reassured, her gaze softening as her playfulness subsided when she realized that her friend was genuinely troubled. “There... was a little bit of pain, but it’s gone now, for the most part.”

 

Pearl’s eyes flickered with doubt. “But--”

 

The inkling was cut off once more as Marina's thumb began to gently glide across her friend’s pale cheek. “I’m _okay_.” She repeated, making sure that Pearl received her words. “It’s _okay_.”

 

Pearl's mouth remained frozen and ajar before she slowly, finally, let her guard down and shook her head with a relieved sigh.

 

_Thank cod..._

 

“...Okay?” Marina asked quietly.

 

Pearl nodded her head slowly, taking another deep breath.

 

“Okay.”

 

Since that point in time, when Marina fell off of her bed, Pearl was honestly traumatized by the ordeal and had grown very protective of friend. She still felt overwhelmingly guilty about what had happened, and she vowed that something like that would never transpire again. That’s why she had made an almost freakish habit out of wanting to help Marina with everything, to make sure that she wouldn’t get hurt again.

 

Pearl just didn’t want Marina to get hurt. She was tired of seeing Marina _hurt_.

 

Pearl was tired of seeing Marina hurt, when she would draw her hands too far above her head and flinch as she unintentionally pulled on her healing skin. Pearl was tired of seeing Marina hurt, when she would curl up into a shaking bundle in the middle of the night, fighting through her nightly terrors before Pearl would wake up to shoo her troubles away.

 

And  yeah, maybe Pearl couldn't do much for Marina mentally; that was still a roadblock they _never_ talked about. Sure, Marina’s demeanor and overall nature was a shell-shock to who she was when Pearl first met her, but Pearl knew that she could only aid on the surface level. Those deeply embedded tangled roots that housed her inner thoughts and feelings were well out of Pearl’s reach, and Pearl sadly knew that there were only so many feeble band-aids you could put on an undressed wound before it would break back open.

 

She knew from personal experience.

 

Wounds can heal, yes, but the scars they leave, both literally and figuratively, can only fade away to a certain extent. Scars will _always_ leave you permanently marked, in one way or another.

 

So, even though Pearl could only marginally help Marina mentally, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she could do everything in her power to keep Marina from getting hurt _physically._

 

The inkling blinked slowly as Marina’s calming touch brought her back to reality. She felt her face warm with heat as she stared down to Marina, suddenly finding herself completely mesmerized by her friend’s bi-colored eyes. She had always found it so interesting how Marina’s eyes were colored like that; teal and pink. Actually… were there hints of blue in there as well? And why was Marina looking at her like _that_ again? Unknowingly, the smaller girl began to inch her way down to further inspect her suspicions as Marina continued to hold her face, now with both hands. Pearl had _zero_ clue what was happening, her mind felt fuzzy, and her skin kept pricking with sparks of heat. What was thinking? Who needed to _think_? Her golden eyes slowly drifted down to her friend’s lips, and once again, Pearl wondered if they were really as soft as they always looked.

 

Clearly, there was only one way to find out so she could finally put this nagging question to rest.

 

“Hey good news! I found some extras in the back and-”

 

Aster had returned to his customers, catching Pearl, Marina and even himself completely off guard. Snapping out of their trance, the girls gave him a horrified look as all three cephalopods stared at each other for several, uncomfortable heartbeats.

 

Marina rapidly threw herself up into a sitting position, her legs crossed between each other in triangles underneath the dress. Unfortunately, this forced Pearl off of her stomach and into her lap, the inkling tumbling backward to meet the hard tile with her back. Her legs ended up being bent at the knees, on either sides of the octoling torso. Due to the vivid movement, the flowing floral dress obediently followed the path of gravity, sliding down Pearl's thighs to reveal a rather large amount of her loud, yellow boxer briefs.

 

By freaking out at the sudden guest, the girls had somehow managed to make their situation and position thirty times _worse._

 

“Uh, I, you, oh-” Aster's face flushed to a deep shade of red, his bright green eyes blinking in shock and disbelief. He ran a shaky hand through his slicked back tentacles, a nervous smile gracing his young features. “Er, well, momma always told me to be careful when I'm at the shop alone. That sometimes people do… _that,_ i-in store.” He coughed awkwardly, glancing to the side. “Although momma said the do gets done in the changin’ room, aheh… Guess y’all're just a bit more feisty than someuff the other-”

 

“A-A-AND I THINK WE'RE READY TO CHECK OUT.” Pearl cried out, rolling herself out of Marina's lap. Both girls quickly scrambled to their feet, their faces impossible shades of embarrassment.

 

That poor boy… They forever scarred a poor fourteen year old…

 

\--

 

After that rather _tragic_ event, Pearl decided that they needed a good break from clothes shopping, so she took Marina to the nearby pet shop next. Before they entered, Pearl was stern with her friend, telling her that they were only there to _look_. When they walked inside however, Marina quickly found herself overwhelmed by all the energy and loud noises. The place was a bit disorganized, young, ink-goopy kids running all around the store, looking at all the different pets with awe and happiness, some even begging their worn-out parents to let them adopt one of the many companions.

 

The front of the colorful, lively store housed dogfish pups, which had just seen a surge in popularity ever since Wahoo World opened up. Then of course, you had catfish, a solitary creature that always made for a unpredictable yet, fun companion, and a pet that Pearl had always considered her spirit-animal. Another popular pet was the goofy-looking Axolotl, which was a big hit with teenagers. Those beady-eyed, pink and white critters could be seen perched upon the shoulders of inklings who hung out all across town. As one neared the back of the store, less mainstream pets such as eels, sea slugs and hermit crabs could be found.

 

“C’mon,” Pearl called, leading Marina to one section in particular. “I know it’s pretty wild up there, but I think you’ll really like the sea bunnies.” After turning a few isles, the pair stumbled upon their display habitat. It was a large glass pen that was open at the top, sitting on top of a counter. Inside the space, several round, white and brown speckled creatures could be seen. Some of them were eating at their food dish while others were snuggled up within a toy hut, sleeping the afternoon away. Sea bunnies didn't have visible faces, or even legs, but that honestly just made them even more cute than what they already were.

 

“They don’t bite,” Pearl snickered, noticing Marina’s skittish nature as they looked down into the pen. “They're really chill, squishy, and feel like you're holding cotton candy.” Pearl reached out and gently petted one that was close to the glass, scuffling through the soft, cotton-like bedding. “It’s okay to touch ‘em. Just remember to be friendly and don’t make loud noises or else you’ll spook them into hiding.”

 

“But…” Marina was a flustered, yet overly curious mess beside her. “W-What if they don't like me?”

 

“Oh, they better,” Pearl joked, “or I'll have something to say about it! Here, let me show you...” She slipped her arm behind Marina’s waist to reach her distant hand, the one that wasn’t gripping the edge of the glass, and gently covered it with hers. She then guided Marina’s hand into the pen, and when Marina touched the fluffy creature she flinched and pulled away, but Pearl was there to offer encouragement. Regaining some confidence, Marina took a breath and let Pearl reel her hand back in. When teal fingers bumped into the sea bunny once more, Marina flinched again, but this time kept her hand in place.

 

Beside her, Pearl watched as Marina’s nervousness slowly began to fade away as she petted the speckled creature with a single finger, then her hand. The octoling’s lips quirked at the corners before a tiny smile edged it’s way onto her face.

 

“See?” Pearl piped up, an ear flicking in amusement. “Not too bad, right?”

 

Marina shook her head as she continued to gingerly stroke the sea bunny, her smile widening. “...Mn-mn.”

 

“You wanna hold it?”

 

Marina looked down to Pearl, her teal eyes going wide. “H-Huh?”

 

The small inkling laughed quietly, “Here, you just…” Pearl’s chest pressed against Marina’s side as she moved in closer, taking Marina’s other hand into the pen. Pearl briefly panicked, her heart rate increasing as she worried that Marina would shed away from the touch. The octoling didn't seem to notice however, all of her attention focused on the sea bunnies below them.

 

Upon this realization, Pearl smiled like a giddy grade-schooler and had to fight to keep her blush under control at their heightened proximity; she was basically hugging her friend from behind at this point, and she was internally screaming about it. It was absolutely, without a doubt, one-hundred percent _unnecessary_ , entangling their limbs like this, and Pearl knew it, but she… was an... _opportunist_.

 

_I mean… Marina doesn't seem to mind soo…_

 

Cupping her smaller hands underneath Marina’s, Pearl led her friend’s hands to scoop up the small critter. She felt Marina twitch against her, both out of nervousness and excitement as she brought it up into the air.

 

“Keep your palms together like this,” Pearl instructed, pressing Marina's hands together. “...You got it?”

 

“Y-Yeah, I think so- _huh?!”_ Marina outstretched her arms with the sea bunny in her hands as Pearl started to remove her hold. “Wait, Pearl-!”

 

“He's your new friend for a bit, so don’t drop ‘em!” Pearl laughed as she stood back and let the scrambling octoling take over. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, Marina cautiously brought the sea bunny up to her face, teal eyes inspecting it thoroughly and curiously. It was calm and still within her hands, it's two upright, brown ears twitching every few moments. The sea bunny then began to inch forward and bumped Marina's nose. A faint squeak fluttered out past the octoling's lips at the unexpected touch and when the sea bunny did it again, Marina quietly giggled and rubbed the little critter's ears with her thumbs.

 

Beside her, an infatuated Pearl silently looked on as the scene unfolded before her. It was a good choice, bringing Marina here to experience something she never had the chance to. Crossing her arms against the top of the glass pen, the inkling couldn't help but notice how cute the moment was, and how especially cute Marina was.

 

...There was nothing wrong with acknowledging a fact. Marina was cute, and that was a blatant _fact._  Pearl was just stating _the facts._

 

Forcing down yet another annoying blush, Pearl doubled back on her own words and thought about buying the sea bunny for her friend, but she unfortunately could not. It wasn't an issue of money or even adequate space, but rather Pearl's apartment complex had a strict rule against owning pets of any size or species. Pearl had once previously contemplated owning a cat-fish on the down-low, but when she had heard about one of her neighbors being busted for their hidden pet eel, she thought otherwise.

 

 _Ugh._ Pearl thought with a pout. _Lame with a capital L._

 

A pointed ear twitched at the sound of a batch of tiny giggles from beside her. Sitting up from the pen, Pearl looked up and was met with a rather comical sight. There stood Marina with a bundle of sea bunnies within her arms, two perched upon each shoulder, and one resting so very casually on the top of her head.

 

“I think Tony and his friends like me!” Marina smiled when she caught her friend's eyes.

 

“...Tony?” Pearl blinked at her for a moment before ultimately shaking her head with a grin and facepalmed. She wasn't even going to _question_ how Marina ended up being engulfed by her own sea bunny ontriage. She must’ve been spaced out for longer than she initially thought. “You… named it?” Pearl then asked with a laugh, placing her hands on her hips.

 

“Not just him though!” Marina beamed, raising one of the sea bunnies within her hands a bit higher. She then frowned slightly, turning the little critter around. “Wait, hold on…” She looked to one of the sea bunnies sitting on her shoulder and pointed happily to it. " _That’s_ Tony! This is Peter. Silly guy is always trying to be like Tony.” She then began to introduce all the sea bunnies within her arms and climbing all along her body. “Right here is Bruce, right there is Steven, then Clint over there and Carol way up there at the top!”

 

Pearl couldn’t hold her snort in even if she tried. “Reena… you always come up with the _silliest_ of names...”

 

“They’re not silly,” Marina pouted, the smallest of blushes gracing her cheeks. “I think they’re good names, and they think so too!”

 

“Won’t you be sad when you have to leave them though?” Pearl asked teasingly. “Most people are when they name a pet they can’t keep -- which we still can’t, mind you.”

 

Marina shook her head back and forth as she began to place each of the sea bunnies back in their pen, one by one. “Oh no, not at all!” She chirped, reaching for the last remaining critter on her shoulder. “Tony here will keep them all safe and happy.” She then cupped her hands around this supposed “Tony”, lifting him up to her face. “Isn’t that right, little guy?” The little bundle bumped into Marina's nose once more and Marina pressed her lips against his squishy fluffy form in a delighted, quick peck.

 

Pearl frowned inwardly, suddenly becoming envious of an innocent sea bunny.

 

 _Fuck_ Tony.

 

\--

 

After leaving the pet shop, Pearl had decided to take Marina to get ice cream at a perched ice cream truck next. Well, more like _Marina_ had made the decision when she heard the upbeat, repeating nursery rhyme music coming from a wonderfully colorful truck. Pearl could only shake her head with an amused smile as Marina dragged her by her pinky finger over to the truck.

 

In all honesty, Pearl found Marina’s inexhaustible, child-like innocence and curiosity incredibly… adorable.

 

Again, Pearl was just stating the _facts._

 

Regardless of that, Pearl was genuinely happy to see Marina as she began to emerge out of her shell once more. When they had hit the strip mall, the worried octoling practically hid behind Pearl as she was led into the first shop. Marina’s head was on a perpetual swivel, as if she was constantly on the lookout for danger, whatever that _danger_ could be. However, as they explored the shops of Arowana Mall, Pearl watched first hand as her friend’s personality began to crack through her defensive shell once more. There was so much in the world of Inkopolis for Marina to learn about that her habitual curiosity and intrigue eventually outweighed her nervousness.

 

And good think too, because Pearl had been meaning to take Marina to get ice for the longest of time now. The inkling couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she just felt like Marina was just an… ice cream kind of gal, y’know?

 

Pearl knew that cake was _far_ more superior, but she could make a compromise for her friend.

 

As they stood in line to order, Marina curled a finger to her chin, her teal eyes scanning over the vibrant menu that displayed all of the different flavors and options. “I think I'll take that one,” She decided after a long moment of pondering, pointing to a picture of her chosen treat. “It looks cute!”

 

Pearl turned her head up and followed her gaze to a picture of a pink, squid-shaped popsicle, advertised in sparkling, eye-catching words. She gave a small laugh, glancing back over to Marina. “Don’t let that picture fool you. It may look cute, but those gumdrop eyes always come out whack.”

 

The octoling shook her head fervently, her tentacles swishing to and fro. “Not a problem, I still want it!”

 

Pearl snorted under her breath. Poor Marina just didn’t know what she was getting herself into. “ _Okayyy_ … but, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

 

Marina shrugged her shoulders, not taking Pearl’s heed and took a step closer to the front of the truck. At the window was a jolly looking golden shrimp, leaning down over the counter to pass multiple ice cream cones out to a group of kids that had just ordered. Pearl found it a bit humorous how the cheerful crustacean looked a lot like Crusty Sean, from back at the Square. She briefly wondered if the two were related and made a mental note to ask the shrimp the next time she craved the taste of a warm, crispy shwaffle.

 

“Why'd ya choose that strawberry flavor anyways?” Pearl asked Marina as they waited. It wasn’t like Marina had ever had ice cream before, so she was just curious what prompted her to choose that flavor in particular.

 

Marina looked to her friend for a moment before shrugging her shoulders once more, her face warming with a blush. “N-No reason…”

 

Pearl tipped her head to the side in confusion, but before she could pester Marina any further, they were called to place their order.

 

“What’s poppin’, squiddos?” The shrimp asked gleefully, his attention now on Pearl and Marina. “What can I get for you?”

 

“I wanna double scoop of praline on a waffle cone, please.” Turning to her side, Pearl nudged her friend. “Reena?”

 

“I… u-uhm…” Marina quickly grew sheepish as all the attention shifted on her. Her teal eyes skittered to the side as her fingers nervously worked themselves into a tangled knot. Although the octoling was more outgoing and lively when it came to exploring the world of Inkopolis, a part of her was still largely fearful of strangers.

 

Good thing she had a friend like Pearl to help ease her through her anxieties.

 

“Go on…” Pearl coaxed quietly, gently brushing her hand against Marina’s. “Tell the nice dude what you want.”

 

Nodding her head slowly, Marina managed a deep breath and tentatively brought her gaze back to the truck owner. “C-Can I-- uhm… I mean, may I...” A teal-tipped finger shyly pointed to a picture on the menu. “May I… please get that one?”

 

The shrimp leaned out the window, following Marina’s line of sight. “Oh, the Strawberry Squidsicle?” Marina nodded in confirmation. “Sure thing, just a sec!” While the shrimp disappeared to go fetch the girls’ orders, Marina looked down to Pearl and offered a tiny, quiet smile.

 

 _I did it_ , she spoke through her eyes.

 

 _I knew you could_ , Pearl blinked warmly back at her.

 

When the shrimp returned, handing the girls their respective treats, Pearl paid the tab and happily took a giant lick from her ice cream. It wasn't the flavor she typically got, but it was still delicious, irregardless.

 

“What do you say?” She asked Marina once she got hers, beckoning her head up to the truck owner.

 

Her friend blushed, reverting her gaze back up from her treat. “Uhm… t-thank you.”

 

Pearl rolled her eyes in amusement, shaking her head back and forth. “No, you dingus! You say _booyah!_ ”

 

Marina gave a pointed pout. “I told you, that sounds ridiculous! _Veemo_ is much better!” Regardless of the disagreement, Marina quietly and politely murmured a tiny, mispronounced “boo-yeah” to the crustacean before looking down to open up her packaged treat.

 

When she pulled it out, she stared at it, flabbergasted, and Pearl was practically in tears beside her as stumbled around in a fit of laughter.

 

The gumdrop eyes, had indeed, come out _whack_.

 

\--

 

“Hey, Pearl?”

 

“Yeah?” Pearl answered as she took a final lick from her ice cream, glancing over in Marina’s direction. They were sitting side by side on a bench, overlooking the center valley of Arowana mall as they enjoyed their ice cream. A match was starting soon, and Pearl could see a few players already down on the turf, warming up.

 

Marina was quiet for a moment as she took a thoughtful bite from her ice pop, which made Pearl's skin crawl. One does _not_ simply bite ice cream; that practice should be deemed illegal -- just how many felonies had Marina racked up by this point?

 

Unaware of her unlawful tactics at consuming her dessert, Marina’s eyes became fixed on nothing in particular. “I just… well… it’s kinda...” She sighed, leaning back on the bench to look up to the cloudy gray sky. “...This is nice,” is that she settled with eventually. “This… Inkling culture of just doing whatever, whenever just simply because you can is… nice.” Her teal eyes locked onto to how the thick, plump clouds from above slowly drifted against each other. They were ripe and heavy yet, the air didn’t taste of incoming rain. “Everything is… free, open, and…” Marina chuckled a bit, “Pointless. Everything is so incredibly _directionless_ , yet…”

 

Teal eyes averted their gaze from above to the girl sitting beside her and offered a tiny smile.“Yet… it’s still nice.”

 

Despite the chilly weather, Pearl felt the tips of her ears warm in temperature. “Well… I’m glad you feel that way.” She smiled, tossing her now empty cone into the adjacent trash can. She didn’t even like waffle cones, she just like the way it looked. “Is Octo Town really that different from Inkopolis?”

 

Of course, that inquiry warranted Pearl to internally slap herself.

 

Touched by the moment, she wasn’t able to withhold her impulsive, restive question. That was their _one_ rule; they were _not_ supposed to talk about their own respective-

 

“Yes.”

 

Oh.

 

“...Back over in Octo _Valley_ ,” Marina made sure to put emphasis on correcting the name of her old home every single time Pearl got it wrong. “Everything was…” Her eyebrow suddenly became taut and rigid, her usual soft expression decaying with unrest and fatigue. Teal eyes seemed to lock and hone in on a random spot on the concrete, the colorful wrapper wedged within Marina’s long fingers crinkling with distress as she clenched her hand around it. She seemed to be at a loss for words, as her mouth kept hinging and unhinging, but she wasn’t able to formulate any words, and this seemed to… irritate her.

 

Beside her, Pearl remained patiently still and silent. In her time of knowing and befriending Marina, Pearl was slowly beginning to learn the true meaning of that word; _patience._

 

However, after a while, Marina seemed to have given up on her futile endeavor with a pointed sigh. She leaned back against the bench, pinching the bridge of her nose to recollect herself. “I’m just…” She paused again before looking over to Pearl with such an impossibly clear and genuine gaze.  “I’m just... really glad that I’m here with you now, in Inkopolis.” She finished, playfully nudging Pearl with her arm with a mischievous look.

 

Pearl snorted, returning the flippant affection by nudging her back, refusing to be outdone. “Well... I’m glad you’re here with me, too.” Marina chuckled, her face dusting  with a blush. She made the move to reply with a cheeky response, but a sudden, loud voice interrupted her.

 

_“Watch out!!”_

 

Pearl and Marina both whipped their heads up, just in time to see a blur of a brown object hurtling towards them, specifically Pearl. Unfortunately, Pearl’s reaction time wasn’t quick enough to get out of the way, as she was unable to do no more than yell an expletive and flinch. However, the unknown object never connected with her face as Marina, fast as a strike of lightning, leaned over and stuck out her arm and deflected the projectile. Her once docile eyes were narrowed and hard, eyebrows furrowing as she glared over at the direction of where the flying object came from.

 

A few paces away, a turquoise-inked girl with dark olive skin was sprinting over in their direction and when she reached them, she collapsed, hunching over her knees out of breath.

 

“Oh my cod-” She gasped out on fragile breath, her N-Zap falling to the ground. “Holy squit, I am… SO sorry!”

 

 _...Squit?_ Pearl thought with a raised eyebrow, _How old are we, twelve?_

 

The inkling girl didn’t look twelve however, her age appearing to be somewhere close to Pearl and Marina’s.

 

“Man, I tell ya what…” She grumbled as she walked a few paces to pick up the projectile. She held it out in front of her, tossing it gently up and down within her grasp and turned back to Pearl and Marina on the bench. “Have y’all tried out the new ranked mode yet?”

 

Marina gave the random girl a cautious, calculating look as she gripped her fingers against the edge of the bench before turning her gaze over to Pearl. Her friend, not as guarded, crossed her arms against her chest, her eyebrow quirking higher in interest.

 

“You’re talking about Clam Blitz, right?” Pearl asked, fingers tapping against her arm. “No, I haven’t given it a go yet. I’m waiting for all the hype to die down first so the new ranks won’t be cluttered with people who don’t know how to play.”

 

“Huh!” The inkling girl rolled her silver eyes and huffed in agreement. She then hooked the Power Clam underneath her arm and readjusted the red sunglasses sitting upon her head. “See, that was my strat as well, but my friend was dead-set on playing it immediately and let’s just say…” She gave a sheepish laugh, brushing her one long tentacle out of her face. “It’s an absolute tragedy, aheh…”

 

Pearl nodded merely and shrugged her shoulders. “As expected.”

 

“Yeah, that’s why we’re trying to get some last minute recon in before out battle starts.” There were a few moments of silence before the inkling girl cleared her throat. “Well anyways… I should be going now.” She murmured, realizing she was over-staying her grace period. “Sorry again! About the Power Clam almost hitting you upside the face and whatnot.”

 

Pearl offered her a small chuckle, waving her hand as she dismissed the apology. “No worries, it happens.”

 

As the inkling girl began to turn to walk away, she suddenly halted midstep when she cast a look in Marina’s direction. The octoling froze, her hands tightening their grip on the bench as the other girl stared wide-eyed at her moving tentacles. Beside her, Pearl’s mouth drew into a tight line as her cordial smile ebbed away. She _hated_ when people would stare at Marina. The corner of her lips twitched as she prepared to open her mouth to tell this weird girl that she needed to get the f-

 

“I like your hair!” The stranger gushed out, her lips parting into a smile. “That’s a really fresh look I’ve never seen before.”

 

Marina blinked at her several times, taken aback by the genuine compliment. Hell, both her and Pearl both were as they gave the other girl a dumbfounded, surprised look. Marina had always garnered unwanted attention and flack from her different hair that hearing something positive for once was downright _strange_.

 

Strange… in a pleasant way.

 

The corner of Marina’s lips twitched the slightest bit, a hand going up to twirl the tip of one of her long strands. “O-Oh… uhm... well… t-than-”

 

“ _Jeiden!_ ” A distant voice suddenly called out. A bit down the pavement, an inkling boy with short, spiky yellow hair could be seen waving his hands frantically in the air. “Let’s _go_ already! You’re moving slower than a sea slug across hot pavement!”

 

Pearl raised an eyebrow, recognizing the other kid. She didn’t know his actual name, but it was good ol’ _BooyahBoi,_ a Splash-o-matic main whom she ran into from time to time in the lobby.

 

The inkling girl, whom presumably was named Jeiden, sharply whipped her head around. “Uh, _who_ are you calling a sea slug, you buck-toothed walrus?!” She shouted back, which caused  _BooyahBoi_ to press a hand to his chest and gasp in disbelief. Bidding Pearl and Marina a final grin and polite wave, Jeiden picked up her discarded N-Zap, turned on her heels, and began to scamper off, shouting out to her awaiting friend.

 

“You were right, Pearl…” Marina murmured with a tiny smile as she watched the ungraceful departure. “Inklings… really don’t know an octoling when they see one, huh...” She then snorted quietly. “You guys are just so incredibly... _weird_.”

 

Beside her, Pearl huffed and stuck out her bottom lip. “What?” She grumbled, crossing her arms. “So, you think _I’m_ weird?”

 

Marina glanced over to her friend and raised a coy eyebrow. “Oh, _absolutely_. No debate there.” A stifled laugh left her lips when she saw the look of feign hurt pass over Pearl’s eyes. Marina made the move to make another quib, but something wet dripping down her wrist stopped her.

 

Looking back down, the octoling was horrified to see that her decorative pink squid ice-cream pop was melting all over the place, despite the cool weather.

 

“M-My ice cream-!” Marina cried, extending her arm far out in front of her as if it contained an infectious disease.

 

Pearl burst out in hearty laughter, pointing her finger at Marina. “HA! Justice is served, _soft served!”_ Her golden eyes widened as she watched Marina suddenly try to stuff the whole thing into her mouth. “Wait! No, don’t do that! You’ll get a brain freeze! Okay, wow, jeez hang on, I'm gonna go get some napkins…”

 

\--

 

Once Pearl was able to help Marina clean up her messy dessert, they were ready to hit the shops once again.

 

Marina drew her arms across her chest in a stretch as she began following Pearl down the sidewalk.  “Where to next, Pearlie?” She asked cheerfully.

 

Pearl's stopped dead in her tracks, her foot frozen in time above the pavement.

 

She slowly turned her head up to Marina, her face a mixture of disbelief and shock.

 

“Wh… _What_ did you just call me?”

 

Marina shuffled nervously under her stare, an index finger going up to scratch the side of her face. “I-I, uhm… well…” Teal eyes darted to the ground, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. “Well… you… like to call me ‘Reena’, or sometimes even ‘Mar’, so I thought… you know…” With a timid shrug of her shoulders, she met Pearl's eyes once more. “I thought… maybe I… could... give you a nickname, too. I first tried to make one like you, but then I realized that ‘Peena’ wasn’t a good nickname, and neither was “Pea” so I then thought about trying... ”

 

Pearl could only blink at her friend, completely dumbfounded and speechless. At this point, she wasn’t even really hearing Marina.

 

The name, “Pearlie”...

 

No one besides her parents had ever called her that, and that was back before… everything went _wrong_. Since then, Pearl had ardently refused to be called that name, as it reminded her of everything bitter and belligerent about that time in her life. That was not an onslaught of memories she wanted to relive every single time that someone called her that.

 

But... hearing it innocently flutter out from Marina's lips, whom had no idea of it’s prior history… Hearing it come from the friend who she had been spending over the last month almost exclusively with…  Hearing it come from the person who she found herself growing… _closer_ to with every passing moment… It reminded her not all of the pain that nickname harbored, but of all the joy, the carefreeness that also came with it. The happiness that was associated with that name that had been long forgotten and shadowed over.  

 

It reminded Pearl of that one utterly sensitive, yet, powerful emotion…

 

That one emotion called love.

 

Call it spastic intuition, but in this particular moment, as Pearl watched Marina helplessly ramble on, she…really wanted to kiss her, and not just a simple, platonic kiss on the forehead either. Pearl wanted to _kiss_ Marina, _romantically_ , on the lips, and she didn’t care who was there to witness it. Pearl wanted to pull Marina in close, cup her cheeks within her small hands, close her eyes, lean in and press her lips to Marina’s. Pearl wanted to know if they were as truly as soft as they looked because _damn it_ , she has been wondering for so long now.

 

Pearl wanted to take a moment and forget everything, and she meant _everything_ , and just focus on nothing but Marina. Pearl wanted to know what it would feel like to have Marina hold her, pulling her in closer when she returned the kiss. Pearl wanted Marina to be more than just her flatmate. Pearl wanted Marina to be more than just her jam partner. Pearl wanted Marina to be more than just a friend. With a stark realization, Pearl truthfully wanted Marina to be her g--

 

The small inkling abruptly snapped herself out of her daydreaming, feeling heat rising up to her cheeks.

 

 _...Wow._ She thought, flabbergasted. _Damn, Pearl… You don’t even know if she feels the same, honest to cod._

 

When... in the _hell_ had _those_ type of gross, mushy-gushy feelings developed? Pearl had sheepishly accepted that she was, and had been infatuated by Marina for the longest of time, but just when had these deeper emotions taken root on her soul? She couldn’t pinpoint an exact time, but they were so strong, and she quickly realized that these thoughts had been taking up her mindshare for quite some time now. Only now, they were just a lot more prevalent and seemingly impossible to ignore.

 

As embarrassingly cliche as it was to admit… she was _head over heels_ for Marina.

 

Pearl wasn’t just stating the facts anymore.

 

“B-But, yeah!” Marina’s continuous, incessant chatter caught a pointed ear. “So, if you don't like it, I can think of something else! Or, if you don't like nicknames at all, I don't have to-”

 

Pearl cut her off with a small laugh, shaking her head in amusement. “No, you dork…” Before Marina could notice, she quickly wiped away the loose tear pricking from the corner of an eye before taking a few steps forward. When she met her friend's side, Pearl habitually reached for Marina's hand but instead of locking their pinkies, she gently maneuvered her fingers around Marina's larger ones so that their palms were pressed together. The octoling looked down to the joined hands, her dark eyebrows slowly raising in surprise. She quickly flipped her attention back up to her friend, her face tinting with color as she gave Pearl a flummoxed look.

 

When their eyes met, Pearl gave her a soft, endearing smile, causing one of Marina’s tentacles to twitch, disrupting their natural flowy movement as her blush increased in density.

 

To Pearl’s delight, Marina didn’t pull away and instead, patiently waited for her friend to speak.

 

“That nickname you chose…” Pearl began quietly, gently squeezing Marina's cool hand within hers.

 

“It's perfect.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've...nothing to say other than thank you all for all the comments, bookmarks and over 100 kudos this fic received in it's time of dormancy. I know every writer says this, and it might even seem cliche at this point, but they truly do mean a lot. ♡


	11. Dumplings and Details

Pearl stood in her kitchen, hands clean and pristine as she carefully flattened a small square chunk of dough on her counter. In one hand, a wooden roller rolled the dough while another hand rotated it a few degrees after each pass over. Pearl continued with this process over and over again until the piece of dough was the size of her palm and thin as a sheet of paper. Picking up the smooth disc, the focused inkling placed it at the top of the chopping board along with the others, completing her set of sixteen dough slices.

 

With a silent, satisfied sigh, Pearl wiped the side of her face with her shoulder and turned to glance down at a hand-written sheet of paper to review the next step. The recipe was old and crinkled, some of the nicely written cursive ink smeared together, and Pearl found herself on multiple occasions such as now, having to lift it up for an examination to discern the muddled words.

 

_“So, how are things with you and Mystery Girl?”_

 

Startled, the inkling looked up from the sheet of paper upon hearing the voice that sounded from within her ear. “...Huh?” Underneath her black and red flannel jacket, the thin wires of a pair of microphone-wired earbuds went up to hook in her ears. It was convenient, being about to talk on the phone without needing to hold the device, or having to deal with the static blotchiness of speaker phone.

 

After blinking in confusion several times, Pearl returned her attention back to the little note, golden eyes scanning over it carefully. After reviewing the next step, she reached out to grab a bowl that contained a delicate concoction of tenderized meat, flour, seasoning and an assortment of chopped green vegetables such as bok choy and spring onion. She then cupped a hand, placing one of the circular doughy wraps from earlier into the dip of her palm and placed a scoop of the mix onto the center of the dough.

 

“You mean Marina, dad?” Pearl murmured as she began to pinch and fold the edges of the dough until it was sealed, eyebrows knitting together in deep concentration. With a small frown, Pearl noted how her first dumpling came out rather… sub-par.

 

 _Too much filling_ , she mused, noting how the infantile dumpling looked bloated beyond capacity, some of the filling even beginning to seep out from the folds. Regardless, she set the messy dumping back down on the counter and picked up another thin dough wrapper. She had _sixteen_ tries to get this right. Pearl was eager and determined to do better with her next one.

 

She was also determined to understand whatever the hell her father was getting at.

 

 _“Yeah, her!”_ The deep voice spoke up from within her earbuds again. _“You seemed so eager to talk about her last time, I was just wondering if you two were still friends or…_ whatever _.”_ The certain way he had paused and emphasized “whatever” made Pearl’s eartips warm.

 

“Er… well, yeah. Marina and I still… hang.” She stumbled out, blush growing in density. Her father didn’t need to know that she and Marina spent the majority of their time together, or that they lived together, or that they stripped one another of their tops to bandage Marina's recovering wound, or that they slept together every night in the same bed, underneath the same sheets. He _especially_ didn’t need to know about that last one because it sounded so terribly _bad_ , out of context. In her flustered state, pale fingers began to shake, causing this dumpling’s edges to meld together sloppily. With a quiet groan, Pearl placed her second badly handled dumpling on the cutting board next to the overweight one from earlier and hastily moved on to the third.

 

First is the worst, second is the best, third is the one with the treasure chest -- that’s how the saying goes, right?

 

 _“I see…”_ Her father hummed thoughtfully from the other end, Pearl imagining him stroking his non-existent beard like he often did. _“Well...?”_

 

“Well, w-what?”

 

There was a small laugh, _“Oh come on, Pearl! You_ know _what!”_

 

"Uh, actually, I really don't…"

 

There was a snort. _"...Have you figured out if you like her or…?"_

 

Pearl blushed immediately, knowing that was what her father had meant from the start. She was just trying to futilely avoid the inevitable. Why was her dad so invested in her personal life? But, even though she found his curiosity vexing, Pearl found that she was surprisingly willing to talk about it, at least in the smallest of ways.

 

She wasn’t going to lay _all_ the details down on her father, but she’d humor him a bit.

 

"Okay, yeah, fine. ...I like her, sure.” Pearl mumbled. She stared intently at her third dumpling as she added the chunky filling as delicately as she could and began to pinch and fold the edge of the dough, doing her best to contain the heat rapidly spreading throughout her face.

 

 _“AHA! Finally!”_ Apparently her father found this new information to be worthy of a news cast, with how extra he was acting. _"So, tell me... When did you come to that graaand realization?"_

 

His daughter paused for a moment, genuinely mulling the idea over in her head. When had she realized that she… ‘liked’ Marina? “I’m… not really sure, to be honest. Like, a week ago, we were hanging out at Arowana and it was just suddenly like... _bam,_ y’know?” Pearl’s determined expression slowly withered into a scowl as she struggled to create the proper crisp, zig-zag pattern at the edge of the folded dough.

 

_“Mn, and what did you feel during that ‘bam’ moment?”_

 

“Annoyed.” Pearl answered immediately, her frown creating more ridges on her brow. “ Kinda… kinda excited, actually very excited, but also so incredibly _annoyed._ I was taken off guard, shell-shocked, gut checked, all of those feelings and above. It was as if-- what the _fuck!_ " Pearl's fingertips somehow slipped in her molding on the dough, causing her to over-correct and send the uncooked dumpling to the floor with a wet splat.

 

Ah, of course. She had it wrong.

 

The saying was "third is the one with the hairy chest", whatever the hell those gross words meant. Pearl always figured it was referring to bad luck, or something similarly tragic.

 

"Uhh… Sorry about the language…" She murmured as she scooped up the mess with a paper towel and threw it into the rubbish bin.

 

There was a small, bemused chuckle from the other end of the line. _"Everything good?"_ Her dad asked. _"The whole time we've been on the phone, I've heard you grumbling over there like an whale shark passing a kidney stone."_

 

Pearl grimaced at that unnecessarily detailed metaphor. "...Thank you… for _that_." She couldn’t help but smirk however as she placed her fourth dough sheet into her palm, reaching for the mix once more. "I'm just… trying to cook up something."

 

A surprised gasp was what she received as a response. _“Woah-! You’re_ cooking?” There was another light-hearted laugh, _“Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?!”_

 

Pearl chuckled under her breath, placing her spreading knife down on the counter to lean against it to momentarily recuperate herself; she couldn’t keep making faulty dumplings like this or else her and Marina wouldn’t have anything appetizing to eat!

 

"I’m just, uhh… trying to get the hang of things again." Pearl offered meekly, shaking herself out and moving onto the next sheet of dough. She _had_ this one in the bag, for sure.

 

_"What'cha makin' over there anyways?"_

 

As she began to place the spread once more, Pearl gliding hand soon came to an agonizingly slow stop. The back of her throat suddenly became uncomfortably coarse, and with a cumbersome grunt to clear her airways, Pearl tried her best to shake off the impending nerves.

 

"Err, well, uhm… I-I'm making… dumplings." She managed to stumble out eventually.

 

A cool, unsettling shudder passed through Pearl’s body when she _physically_ felt the weight of the pause from other end. As she waited anxiously for some type of response, she began to delicately pinch and fold the dumping as a much slower pace, which surprisingly wasn't turning out too bad his time around.

 

 _"...Mom's recipe?"_ Pearl's father piped up carefully, a hint of hopefulness in his voice.

 

Golden eyes briefly flicked back over to the hand-written recipe on the counter.

 

Pearl sighed quietly.

 

"Yeah. Mom's recipe."

 

The tone in the air had shifted dramatically, and Pearl felt an awkward pressure building up on her shoulders. Her mother was a... touchy subject between the two; the pair talked about her, but never really _talked_ about her. Well, correction: Pearl’s father gushed about her all the time, whereas his daughter remained tight-lipped, unless directly asked about her. Pearl hadn't seen, let alone spoke to her mother in years, and the longer she went without doing so, the stronger the guilt and dread pooling within the small inkling's gut became.

 

Pearl and her mother were just simply on… awkward terms; terms that were more difficult to amend as compared to her relationship with her father.

 

 _It’s complicated,_ Pearl often told herself so she wouldn’t dwell about it in detail.

 

After releasing a slow puff of air, Pearl set down her first well-made dumpling of the evening before moving on to the next. Thankfully, she was finally starting to get the hang of things again, she just had to brush off that layer of dust. Years ago, when she was more ink than squid, her mother had taught her this special homemade recipe for dumplings that were the most delicious things on the planet. Her mother would often let the younger and eager-to-please Pearl help cook dinner. Pearl wasn't the best when it came to her culinary skills, but she had always tried her best to cook, that is, until she lost all interest in it as she got older, and especially after _the incident_.

 

Pearl hated it when her family referred to it as that. It made things sound so unecessarily dramatic.

 

 _"You know…"_ Her dad began quietly, almost tentatively, _"Her birthday is coming up soon…"_

 

Pearl struggled to swallow the lump in her throat, her eyes wandering over to the nearby window, taking note on how she could see the trees were starting to become more and more barren. The arrival of colder weather always padded her mother's birthday, which typically would befall on the day when the last amber leaf would fall off of the last living tree.

 

"I _know_ , dad…" Pearl mumbled out eventually, placing another well-done dumpling onto the cutting board. Now that she had finally gotten back into the swing of things, Pearl found the process much easier to handle.

 

 _"...Think you can give her a call?"_ Her father pressed on hopefully. _"She misses you, and would be beyond delighted if you were to give her a shout, or maybe even a visit. It’s been a while since you’ve been down here."_

 

"I'll… think about it." Pearl indeed gave it an entire two seconds of thought and decided rather quickly that, welp, she _wasn't_ going to do it. Although she was slowly starting to rebuild her relationship with her father, Pearl wasn’t quite ready to see him again, and she _especially_ wasn’t ready to see her mother.

 

She shivered at that single thought alone.

 

 _"Oh, c'mon Pearl…"_ Her father muttered, giving a disbelieving chuff. "You and I both know that as a Houzuki, that means 'no, I won't do it'."

 

Golden eyes narrowed at that notion, Pearl immediately growing defensive as her father gently called her own on her own bull. She knew she was lying to herself, but she didn’t need the humiliation of her father blatantly pointing it out to her by hanging up her dirty laundry for all to see.

 

Pearl’s brow furrowed in agitation as she pointedly set down another good dumpling. “Well, if mom misses me _so_ much, then why doesn’t _she_ ever call _me?”_

 

As soon as the words had left her lips, Pearl felt an overwhelming wave of guilt and regret wash over her.

 

Now _that_ was incredibly uncalled for.

 

“D-Dad, I’m sorry.” She quickly blurted in the feeble attempt to retract her deplorable words. “I-I shouldn’t have-- I didn’t mean to-”

 

 _“No Pearl..._ I’m _sorry.”_

 

 _That_ make Pearl stand up straight, her eyes staring at the cabinets before her in utter disbelief. She was beyond flabbergasted to hear those words tumble out from her father’s mouth.

 

“...w… what?”

 

There was a deep, weighted sigh from the other line, as if her father had been preparing to say this for a long time. _“I’m sorry, Pearl.”_ He repeated solemnly. _“For everything that happened, and how it happened, and I’m sorry that I wasn’t the best role model for you during that time.”_ There was a pregnant pause, one that was overtly stout and heavy. _“Sometimes… sometimes I wonder… if I knew what I knew now, and how everything would play out, would I still make the same decision?”_

 

Pearl sighed inwardly.

 

So... they were really going to have a conversation about this, huh?

 

Fan- _fucking_ -tastic.

 

Although it had been a while since they’ve last talked about this in detail, Pearl knew she wasn’t ready for another confrontation such as this one. However, she was backed into a corner against her will and had nowhere to run. She briefly considered the idea of hanging up, but Pearl knew that wouldn’t sit well on her conscience.

 

She rubbed the back of her ankle with her foot as she leaned against the counter once more. “There… really wasn’t any other option, dad.” She offered awkwardly, ears pressing flat against her head in discomfort. “It was… it was a stressful situation and you… had... to do what you thought was best.”

 

 _“And at what cost?”_ Her father asked, voice hollow as if it was a question directed more towards himself. _“Of hurting the two most important women in my life?”_

 

With _another_ quiet sigh, Pearl drew her arm across her chest to hold her shoulder.

 

“You didn’t hurt mom, dad.”

 

 _“...I know for a fact that I hurt_ you, _and in doing so, I hurt mom."_

That reply warranted Pearl’s body to cringe ardently, her mouth completely dry at this point, no matter how many times she tried to swallow the parchedness.

 

There was no way for her to combat that statement.

 

Her father, both her parents really, had indeed _hurt_ her back then.

 

Pearl’s response was nearly automatic, robotic, expertly calculated. “You did what you thought was best.” She echoed once more, her fingers buttoning and unbuttoning the top button of her flannel.

 

The voice on the other line went terribly silent, causing Pearl pulled her phone from out within her jeans pocket to make sure the call was still active, and it was. As she waited for her father to gather the broken pieces of his conscience, Pearl make quick work of the rest of the dumplings. In the end, she wound up putting ten of the into the pan to sizzle; that was five for her and five for Marina. Not too terribly bad. Tossing the six other destroyed, raw dumplings into the bin, Pearl began to clean up her station. She was thankful that she had something to do, something to keep her mind and hands busy with so her thoughts wouldn’t _drift._

 

She flinched when she felt the ever ominous sharp stab of pain shoot to her lower back.

 

 _...Please don’t drift,_ Pearl thought in apprehension.

 

Pulling down two pristine plates from the cabinet, Pearl readied them to be dressed. Turning to her rice cooker, she opened it up and took out the steamed white rice she had placed in it earlier. Sprinkling a healthy amount of sea salt on the rice, Pearl began to scoop a generous pile onto both of the plates, doing her best to make the piles neat and uniform so she could easily rest the dumpling on top of it.

 

_“Talk to her, Pearl.”_

 

Pearl jumped when she suddenly heard her father’s deep voice once again. “...Huh?”

 

 _“Your friend.”_ He reiterated. _“Even removing your feelings from the equation, you seem to really revere that Sabrina girl.”_

 

“...T-Talk?” It was no question of whom Pearl got her terrible memory from, but she couldn’t focus on her dad’s mistake to reprimand him for it.

 

Pearl was too busy trying not to mentally freak her shit.

 

...Talk? Like, have a _talk_ talk?

 

_O-Oh cod…_

 

 _“Yes, Pearl._ Talk _to her.”_ Her father continued. _“I’m… I’m literally witnessing this stranger change my daughter from the inside out. I can’t tell you how surprised and grateful I was when you answered the phone last month when I called, and the fact that you were willing to chat with me, even for just a little bit... it meant so much to me. I know it must have been hard, but you even reached out to ask for financial help from your old man.”_

 

 _“And look at you now… this… this is the first time_ you’ve _called_ me _in... jeez, I think since you’ve moved out? Three years? I can hear it in your tone of voice, I can hear it in your actions -- such as you cooking Mom’s old dish. That girl… she’s_ changing _you.”_

 

Low, throbbing pulses of pain were beginning to surface on Pearl’s back, but Pearl was determined to make the conscious effort to ignore it to the best of her ability.

 

She _had_ to figure out why her father would suggest something so incredibly dangerous and outrageous.

 

 _Talk?_ She still couldn’t believe what she was hearing. _F-For fuck’s s-sake..._

 

“...b-but dad…” Pearl's voice was small as she leaned back against the counter with arms crossed and face fatiguing with worry. _Talk?_ Their conversation had suddenly took a sharp turn into completely _different_ , unforeseen territory. “I… thought I couldn’t do s-something like that? Like… w-wouldn’t that be breaking the-”

 

 _“I don’t give a_ damn _about what those legal papers say, Pearl.”_ Her father muttered tersely, making Pearl’s ear twitch in astonishment. In all of her years of life, Pearl could count on _one_ hand how many times she heard her father curse, and this was time number four. _“My daughter_ needs _help, has_ always _needed help, but instead, I was a coward and let those hellish-”_ Five. _“papers control our life for far too long. I just wish that it didn’t take me until several years later to realize it.”_

 

Pearl was then met with what sounded like a wet sniff before being greeted with another long pause of unnerved silence. After a while, Pearl sensed his presence back near the phone and there was a soft, almost bittersweet sigh. “I know that I’ve… lost my privileges to be that shoulder to lean on, but perhaps… you’d feel comfortable enough to talk with you friend, yeah?”

 

_Talk...? To Marina?!_

 

On impulse, Pearl immediately opened her mouth in a feeble protest. “B-But what about the-”

 

 _“Forget the papers,”_ She was interrupted with, _“Just... forget them in this instance.”_

 

“But…” Pearl was visibly shaking at this point, body overtaken with a sheer amount of anxiety. “But what if they find out we broke the contract?”

 

 _“...Do you think Mariah would do something like that?”_ Her father asked gently.

 

...Mariah?

 

Ah, _Marina._

 

Pearl chewed ardently on her lower lip, her eyes locking onto one particular tile on the kitchen floor. “No, dad. I know Reena, and I know that she isn’t that kind of person. She’s just... _beyond_ special, dad.” Pearl muttered, feeling her chest suddenly well up with passion as she worriedly glancing over her shoulder. “She’s… she’s really awesome and talented, and she’s really nice and caring and sweet and... _cod_ , has the most beautiful smile and the most adorable laugh and the way her eyes light up when she learns something new and… s-she just… she makes me _so_ happy, and I’ve never felt for anyone else like I do for her and I just… I-I j-just... ”

 

“...I love her.” Pearl finished quietly, her face a light pink as she drew her forearm up to her eyes to wipe them.

 

Well, fuck.

 

So much for not laying all the details on her old man.

 

Just what in the  _hell_ was happening to Pearl? She couldn’t for the life of her get a handle on _any_ of her emotions during this conversation. It was as if she was stuck on a never ending swing of unpredictable emotional highs and lows, and it was _tiresome._

 

There was a knowing, quiet hum from her father. _“Pearl... I know how these feeling can be, and how strongly you may feel about them. Why, it’s the same thing I felt when I had first met your mother. It’s still how I feel, and that won’t ever change, however… what you’re feeling for your friend… that’s not love.”_

 

“...w...what?” Pearl blinked, completely befuddled as she slowly lowered her arm from her face. Here she was, finally being honest enough with herself to admit, out loud, to her _father_ nonetheless, to the fact that she was in love with Marina. Here she was, stripping herself of her self-built walls, only for her father to invalidate her feelings?

 

 _Excuse_ her?

 

 _“Yes, you may like Margaret,”_ Her father quickly cut in, sensing that his daughter had a rebuttal sharp on the tip of her tongue. _“I can feel that in the way you talk about her, but Pearl, that’s not love… at least, not yet.”_

 

Pearl sniffed quietly as she leaned against the counter with folded arms once more, her face furrowing with a scowl. She didn't _ask_ to be lectured about this. Despite her annoyance on being shut down, she was intrigued enough to humor him. “...what do you mean...”

 

 _“You don’t truly love someone with all that you are, until it_ hurts _.”_

 

Cream eyebrows knitted together, pale fingers twining themselves together as she tried to understand her father’s words. “Until it...  _hurts_ …?” Pearl frowned. “Like, if we were to split apart, would I be hurt?” She tightened her grip on her own hold, briefly thinking over that horrifying thought. “Dad, I’d be completely _devastated_ beyond belief if I could never see Marina again.”

 

 _“Trust me,”_ Her father spoke up, _“I understand where you’re coming from, I really do. But unfortunately Pearl, I have no way of explaining this... phenomenon to you. It’s just one of things that you won’t get until you experience it for yourself.”_

 

Ah, of course. It was one of those stupid, cheesy “life mottos”, was it?

 

When Pearl didn’t provide an answer after a while, her father further explained things from a different perspective. _“Love is a wonderful, strong, passionate thing, Pearl. It really is. It fills you up with desire, strength, and the willingness to become a better version of yourself today, than what you were yesterday. You’ll begin to do things you never thought imaginable, you’ll begin to prove reality wrong and do what was once impossible for you. What was once terrifying to you."_

 

 _“However, what people never recognize until it’s too late is that love isn’t all sugar and sparkling rainbows, like how it’s often portrayed movies and shows. If you let it, love will_ hurt _. You’re going to_ hurt _, experience pain far worse than anything you’ve ever felt before and unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do to prepare for it. Love is one of the most beautiful things in the world, but... it's also one of the most terrifying."_

 

Okay, wow, jeez, pump the breaks here... Pearl's dad was on a roll, he just kept going on and on, _and on--_

 

"Uhm..." Pearl shuddered as she listened to this romantic speel. _That_ was love? Happiness and joy yet, simultaneously aguish and suffering? And furthermore, she was going to have to experience the worst pain she had ever gone through in order to love -- _worse_ than the pain of her _scars?_

 

Pearl wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle something _that_ painful and daunting. She could barely tolerate the spurts of pain she experienced on the daily.

 

 _“I don’t mean to dampen your feelings, or scare you, Pearl.”_ Her father consoled, _“But… until you understand what that certain kind of_ hurt _is, you don’t love someone. Not yet at least.”_

 

Pearl nodded her head slowly with a frown, even though she still didn’t quite understand what her father had meant. So... she loved Marina, but not fully yet? Was what she was feeling just a simple, juvenile crush; nothing more than a “likeness” to Marina?

 

Golden eyes narrowed at that sentiment.

 

Pearl personally felt that her feelings for the tall octoling ran a hell of a lot deeper than just a simple damn crush. Putting her heart on the word “crush” was nearly demoralizing. Marina was worth so much more than a childish, stupid ass _crush_.

 

 _“Regardless…”_ Her father resurfaced on bated breath. _“Just think about it, okay? Like,_ really _think about it. I really do think it’ll be good for you, to have someone that isn’t me or mom be there for you to lend an ear. Someone you trust like no one else, someone's who's got your back though thick and thin.”_

 

 _"And most importantly,"_ he prefaced, _"someone who has no ties to what happened."_

 

Pearl’s chest rose and fell with a deep sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose. She supposed he had a point, a very marginal point at that although... just perhaps... what _if_...

 

“Okay, fine, dad…” Pearl agreed exasperatedly. “I’ll... give it some thought.”

 

She heard her father smile faintly, knowing that Pearl wasn’t lying this time. _“Well, anyways… I suppose I’ve kept you hostage on the phone for a bit too long, and I know you’ve got other things to do. Just… thank you for calling me Pearl. I nearly jumped out of my own ink when I saw your caller ID show up on my phone.” He paused for a brief, pensive moment. “This may be too much to ask, but… can we… maybe start making this… a more common thing, between you and me?”_

 

Pearl thought carefully over the proposition. If every time she talked to her father, she was going to have a life-altering, deep, emotional conversation, Pearl wasn’t quite sure she _wanted_ to. Yet… Pearl felt a draw, a longing to have a relationship with her dad, to have a relationship with her parents once more. Although she expected that it wouldn’t be an easy road to go down, for all three of them, Pearl wanted to put this… _mess_ behind them and rekindle what once was.

 

That, of course, didn’t mean that she was going to like it. Hell, not by any stretch of the imagination.

 

Still, she was at least willing to give it a try. She could feel that her father was trying from his end as well. A lot of trying could go a long way.

 

With a small smirk, Pearl reached up to hold the small square button on the wire of her earbuds. “Talk to you later, dad.” She offered, effortlessly ending the call with a press of the button. Now standing alone in her quaint kitchen, Pearl’s smirk withered away as she found herself in a lethargic, out-of-body situation. Her arms and limbs were left heavy and dense, and the tile beneath her feet suddenly felt harder than usual. The space was within the kitchen was quiet, save from the quiet sizzling of the dumplings within the pan, and the gentle _tick-tock_ of the analog clock perched upon the wall.

 

Pearl genuinely felt like she was just moment away from crumpling. From Marina, to her mother, and to the elephant seal in the room, the conversation she just had touched on every single one of her insecurities, leaving Pearl’s mind in complete disarray. She didn’t know what to think, what was there to think? She didn’t even want to _think_ about it! Because if she did, that meant confronting her--

 

Pearl grimaced and bit her lip as she froze as another ripple of pain shot through her back.

 

 _Fuck thinking_ , she declared. Any and every time she mused about that terrible thing, it caused her back to flair up like a firecracker and Pearl was absolutely, truthfully, genuinely, _not_ in the mood to deal with any of th--

 

“Hey, Pearlie!” Marina suddenly greeted as she suddenly walked into the kitchen. The octoling was wearing one of her new white crop tops with a picture of a cartoon sea bunny printed on it along with a pair of simple black joggers. “I’d thought I’d peep in and check on ya. You’ve been cooking for a while now… are you sure you don’t want any help?”

 

Upon Marina’s untimely appearance, Pearl rigidly turned her head and stared at her wide eyed as she felt the ink flowing throughout her body run cold as ice. With her father’s conversation hot on her mind, Pearl tried to hide her overwhelming distress by shoving her hands deep into her pocket. She couldn’t crumble down in front of Marina, _especially_ not when dinner was nearly done.

 

Although her mind was screaming at her to not give it any attention, there was only one thought looping on repeat in Pearl’s mind like a broken record as she managed to muster a strained, complimentary greeting to Marina as she walked over to her.

 

_“Just think about it, okay?”_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the shortness of this one! I decided at the last minute to split this apart from what will now be chapter 12. Anyways, if this chapter... "unsettled" you, or made you feel "off", that's a good thing. It was made to be jarringly uncomfortable for both Pearl and the reader, but I wonder why...


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